Underestimated Complications
by Ayesha Raees
Summary: Hyuuga Hinata has been disowned by her father on the terms to make a namefor herself in the world. Now struggling in life and trying to ignore the curious teenagers who wants to know her past... she lives a life of mayhem, trying to change. Sasuhina.RnR
1. Sakura Blossoms

**Underestimated Complications  
by Ayesha Raees**

Hi, my name is Hyuuga Hinata and I am sixteen. I study at Konoha High and this is my second year.

My life is as simple as anything or maybe so much complicated that I don't want to think about it and I simply regard it at the back of my head, saying its 'simple'. Though I tell myself that it's simple because of many pointless reasons like I **don't want to bother other people about** **it** and something meaningless like **things can't get any worst**.

This **was **my life but everything changed after my father disowned me and kicked me out of the honourable Hyuuga Compound with a quest to prove myself that I could be an excellent, flawless, confident and respected daughter.

**Chapter one**

**Sakura Blossoms**

I wake up at the crack of dawn, something that other teenagers may consider impossible but for me, it's like I am following my daily routine. I have been waking up like since I was four, ever since my mom left my dad and I was given an unspoken duty to look after my little sister who was only two then. I never complained because I enjoyed the early mornings as there was nobody awake and the streets were nice and quiet. The smell of the air seemed delicious when I opened the window and the Sakura tree just outside my window, looked heavenly.

Sometimes I thought why I even bothered trying to prove myself to my father but that just things were. I was not a mere child neither was I someone who people regarded as unpopular. Sometimes I think that maybe I have changed but I discard this thought to the back of my head like always so I don't have to think about it. Sometimes in different matters, I don't like to think at all. Maybe I have to change that.

Noticing that there was hardly anybody around, I put on a sleeveless black shirt and knee length shorts before wearing my joggers and deciding to go for a jog. If there is somebody around, even a dog, I don't go out at all. It's a phobia maybe but I hate crowds and stares. And I don't just go around wearing sleeveless and shorts. I sometimes thank that the modern people don't wake up early.

After the jog, I returned to my room, took a nice cold shower and changed into my usual baggy shirt and trousers, all black, with a baggy purple jacket on top. After brushing my long midnight hair and tying them into a high ponytail, I picked up my bag and I walked quietly down.

It was only six and my school started at seven-thirty. I, like everyday, cooked a huge breakfast that would probably be fit for a king and eating a plate of pancakes, I left the rest on the table for my mother.

I lived with my mother now and she, surprisingly, didn't marry again even though she was and still is the most gorgeous woman that anyone could lay their eyes on. Me and my sister didn't really have any have contact with her after she left my father and when I was kicked out, I had absolutely no place to go. It was a surprise for me when I opened the phone book and found her name in "Shops and Accessories". It looked like my mother was a rich dress maker and lived in a huge beautiful house alone and I had no idea about it.

Judging by her wealth and the fact that she had left my father, I thought she wouldn't really have me but I was surprised when I called her and she started crying saying things like "Oh my baby…"

The words weren't even out of my mouth when she said "Why don't you come and stay over my house for sometime…"

I was more than glad. So actually she doesn't have any idea that my father had disowned me and I was actually on a quest to prove myself that I deserved the title as a Hyuuga.

Not everyone is a prodigy.

And anyway, my cooking, waking up early, humming sweetly, stuttering when speaking, blushing and shy ways wasn't actually what made my father happy.

After I ate, I went out of the house and started to walk slowly towards school, my hands in my pyjama's pockets, and my eyes towards the blue sky.

It was seven when I reached school and was sitting in my homeroom.

I rested my head in my arms and quietly stared out of the window.

I wasn't actually popular but I wasn't really the low class person either. In my old school, before my father had disowned me, I was a back seater who rarely had any friends and hardly talked at all. After getting disowned, I tried to get more socializing and of course, failed miserably.

The only reason people came to talk to me or sit beside me is because they wanted to know about my family and my past. They considered me as a _mysterious quiet _girl and as teenagers are so prying, they wouldn't probably leave me alone until I shout at them **YEAH! MY FATHER IS A HYUUGA AND I AM A MULTIBILLIONIAR'S DAUGHTER AND MY MOM IS HOT AND SHE **_**THE **_**TSUKI UKATA! GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?**

And probably after that, I would be getting friends from all kinds of groups and then in the end I would be dragged into the popular group who had access to everything and everyone.

It wasn't really high school, it was FBI.

Usually people from the school magazine came and sat down with me and sometimes I had to go to the ice cream shop, the park and THEN the mall to get rid of stalkers.

It was hell annoying. Why can't people just ignore from where I came from and just think how nice of a person I am and just be FRIENDS with me? I am just like a **normal **person.

Or maybe not.

And the fact that I have got lavender eyes just doesn't prove that I am considered normal.

The classes started and this time a girl, with huge glasses and sly looks, sat next to me and greeted my by saying "Hey Hinata, you look pretty today,"… which was a total lie because I noticed her sly eyes and deduced that she was from the school magazine and was just checking my reaction.

I simply said thank you and complimented on her sweater.

Everything was going great until something horrible happened at lunch.

Usually in the cafeteria, I would be sitting alone, trying to act as normally as I could and eating my homemade lunch. Usually, some curious people would sit next to me and we will end up in a comfortable (but boring) conversation. But usually I sat alone and I had no guts of getting up and joining anybody.

But this time at lunch, something awful happened. Yamanaka Ino, the second most popular girl, girlfriend of Nara Shikamaru, the chess champion and a HUGE genius, came over to my table and looked down at me with her bright blue (yet beautiful) eyes. I swallowed my chicken nugget with great force, trying my best not to choke.

Although many times I have been spied and asked frequent questions but not once have I been even _looked _by the popular kids. They were usually in the third year but they were all in my classes because all of my subjects were advanced. No, that actually doesn't mean I am a prodigy or something, I am just _stupidly _smart.

Or maybe I just work way too hard because I have no social life.

So anyway… Yamanaka Ino, who was wearing an amazing purple sleeveless shirt and a nice short skirt that could make my mom compliment at it, looked down at me and _smiled._

There was a minute silence and I blinked up at her.

"May… May I help you?" I asked innocently.

Her smile turned into a giggle as she grabbed my upper arm and I was dragged from my chair towards the popular kid's table with only a yelp as a protest. She let go of me when we reached there and then sat down beside the pink haired beauty before staring up at me.

Actually the whole table was staring at me… no wait… the whole cafeteria was staring at me. I raised my eyebrows, suddenly feeling nervous.

Haruno Sakura, the prom queen for three straight years, cleared her throat and motioned me to take a seat next to a red head. I, obviously, didn't move.

Neither was I going to squeak out **"What-what do you want?"**

I stood there with an unbelievable expression. Was I just DRAGGED here? What would my father think if he saw that? I was putting shame on the Hyuuga name.

But of course when the whole cafeteria is staring at you, you can't obviously ignore everything and look like a clueless moron. So without another thought, I sat down to the boy with scary blue eyes and blood colour hair. His name was Sabaku Gaara. He was popular because…? I have no idea.

I fixed my curious eyes on Sakura who narrowed her eyes at me. I noticed Ino take out a notebook and a pen.

_Oh shit…_

Sakura suddenly slammed her hands onto the table and got up, her eyes staring at me sharply; making me hit the back of my seat in surprise.

"I will be as straight forward as I can," she said and suddenly stopped. She straightened up and glared at the cafeteria and suddenly the usual chatter and laughs began again. Satisfied, she looked back at me sharply. I felt a knot in my throat form quickly.

"As I was saying, I will be as **straight **as possible. I have been dared by a number of people to get information on you and as everyone knows that Haruno Sakura **does not **ignore a dare," she smiled sweetly but her voice was as loud and strict as before, "And I am going to find out every single thing that goes into your head so prepare yourself. From now on, you are going to sit here in the popular table and let me observe you! Is that clear!?"

During the process of her speech, my surprised look had gone from emotionless to hardcore and now it was slightly annoyed.

"As if," I said. _Did I just stand up for myself?! NO WAY! _

A huge intake of breath was inhaled not only by the way the whole popular table but by the whole cafeteria. It looked like everyone was silently listening and all that noise was just a disguise. And I replying back to Sakura like I was some kind of queen of England and it had just been my biggest mistake.

There was a minute silence as Sakura stared at me closely and then she suddenly turned to Ino.

"Note that down, she expresses her views when she is annoyed. That makes it the seventh point including her name, age, the fact that she is smart, the fact that she has no sense of fashion, she is quiet and she brings homemade lunch which shows that she is a mama's child or she is either loved by her mother a lot and maybe she is the only child."

Ino looked up from scribbling in the notebook.

"It can also show that she might be poor because she doesn't have any money to buy food from the cafeteria,"

"Right, point that down too,"

I was horrified. My lavender eyes were opened wide at them. I couldn't believe it… it was just too much for me. I wasn't poor. I was the daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi, the multibillionaire businessman and the daughter of a woman who was the world's famous dress designer. How the hell was I poor?

I was about stand up in rage and yell on top of my voice what exactly I thought of the whole thing but I quickly tried to calm myself down. Once my cousin told me that** it is wiser to use a sarcastic tongue rather than an outright answer.** Maybe I should follow it now.

I calmed myself down in a very quick amount of time and stared at Sakura with an amused expression.

"Wow, your IQ must be over thousand," I said

"Thing like that does not exist," Shikamaru replied from his spot.

"Exactly my point," I replied to his statement with only a careless glance.

Inside, my heart was beating so fast that I thought that it would collapse soon and my stomach was full of nervous butterflies.

Sakura was speechless.

"She can be sarcastic…"

But she wasn't able to continue.

"And I can be happy, sad, stupid, intelligent and a lots of things more," I answered her and then pretended to gasp, "Oh wait… that's what we call a _Human," _

At the end of this comment, the whole table was triggered with grins, smirks and giggles.

Wow… I never thought I was that good.

Sakura smirked down at me.

"You are funny too," she muttered.

And suddenly I felt panic fill up at my chest. What happens if I say or do something wrong and against my conscience and it goes into the school newspaper and I am humiliated for the rest of my life and everyone starts to actually know me and that the fact I was disowned…! Oh the disgrace… Oh, I can't do this anymore.

Gathering up the last of my courage, I decided to end up the discussions. If you call it that.

I suddenly stood up and looked behind Sakura with a surprised look before pointing and shouting.

"Look, it's the principal in a ballet dress!"

The response was promising; everyone gasped and looked at where I pointed to spot something similar.

And of course there was nothing except for garbage cans.

And that's where I made my escape. I ran for it. I was pretty fast actually and my stamina wasn't something to be taken easy. Also for the fact that I was a black belt in martial arts. A Hyuuga should be prepared for everything.

And I was out of the cafeteria door when Sakura actually said "Where?"

I took a deep breath and kept running until I reached my classroom and sat down on the table with my head down.

I just cannot believe what just happened and what I just did.

* * *

Everyone was surprised when they saw her acting like that and it was nice to see that she was not some arrogant rich bitch who just like to keep her stuff to herself and only talk to people with her right amount of money.

And it was actually a relief to Sakura, he noticed.

Uchiha Sasuke shook his head to himself as he watched his best friend, Uzumaki Naruto burst into loud laughter which he was holding before.

Sakura, smirking and actually pleased that she was able to dig out something, sat down satisfied.

"That was pretty fast," Ino suddenly said.

"Professionally fast," Gaara added, his eyes narrowed in curiosity.

Everyone smirked, suddenly interested in what was happening.

Sasuke sighed inwardly. Maybe this wasn't as bad as it looked but he was personally against prying out information against a person's will. If she wanted to keep her family and her past to herself, then it was ok and everyone should understand that. He actually was outvoted by everyone on the table at this point even though Sakura had raised her hand to try to impress him. But the people, who were popular, WERE popular for a reason.

"Ok, what else should I add?" asked Ino, twiddling her pencil on her fingers.

"She is cute," Naruto suddenly added up.

Everyone stared at him.

"Well she IS!" he said defensively.

"Yeah, I think you should put that down," Sasuke suddenly said. He was surprised at himself for saying that… the last thing he knew that he wasn't interested in girls.

Everyone gasped at him. Naruto actually got up, pointed at him and shouted

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO WITH SASUKE!?"

Sakura went strangely pale.

Sasuke, annoyed, glared at Naruto and then added.

"If you don't add it, Naruto will keep me up all night on the phone, actually talking to himself, saying that how unfair people are and yes she is cute. That loser is my best friend and don't let me regret this fact more by every passing second," he added, glaring at Naruto with distaste.

"HEY!"

A sigh of relief came over the table. Sakura regained her colour.

"Yeah Naruto, Sasuke-kun, doesn't go for girls like _her,_" she said before glancing at Ino's notebook and inwardly gasping when she noticed that Ino had written the word 'cute' on top of the page.

It was after some time when the bell rang when she realized that it was the first thing that Ino had actually written.

* * *

**MY NEW STORY... STRICKLY SASUHINA, a curiuos GAAHINA and a teasing NARUHINA... XD**

**REVIEW. :P**

**I am currently working on my the next chapter of my "phoenix's child..."  
trying quite hard so dont mind if there is a late update.**


	2. Crimson Tint

**Underestimated Complications  
by Ayesha Raees**

As in every school, especially the local schools and not the private ones that cost hell a lot, there is always the famous status quo. The six classes.

**The unknown** that consists of the nerds and the back row seaters that nobody pays attention too.

**The mysterious **that consists of loners and people with distorted personalities.

**The snoopers**, although a silly name, consists of journalists trying to snoop around, looking for stories and spreading rumours. They are surprisingly fast at what they do.

**The players **consists of those freaks who were mentally retarded enough to be obsessed 24/7 into sports, studies or in school's extra curricular activities.

**The cheerleaders**, of course, consists of those high and mighty girls with short and skimpy clothes and fussy attitudes about their makeup etc.

And then the last of all...

**The popular**

They weren't dumb neither were they too obsessed with studies to be considered nerds. They weren't physically sick or anything but they weren't considered freaks of sports either. They were just perfect... all-rounder as people call them.

The group was small and consisted of the following members:

**Haruno Sakura**, the prettiest girl in the whole school and for being the prom queen for three years straight. She was every guy's dream girl. In sports, she was perfect in volley ball and the team was thankful to have her. The teachers were pleased with her grades as they were always straight As.

**Yamanaka Ino** was popular for her delicate talents in arts and flower arrangements and was usually the head of the decorations when it was time for either proms or charities. Her parents were rich and she is the captain of the volley ball team. She loves to play the violin and her dream is to become a fashion designer.

**Nara Shikamaru** is a genius. His IQ reaches above two hundred and he is considered popular because of his slack off yet cool attitude and his really amazing skills in football. He is also the only person in the whole country to win the all International Chess Competition.

**Sabaku Gaara **is a mysterious kid. Nobody actually knows about him except his own circle of friends and nobody, including the Snoopers, wants to find out anything about him because of his dangerous badass looks. His grades are excellent and he is the captain of the school's football team.

**Uzumaki Naruto **is actually the person who made this group. Although he is oblivious of the fact that he is the reason of the emerge of the popular. Although he is not bright, he is still considered popular because of his forwardness, looks, determination and his love in martial arts. He is also the vice captain of the basketball team.

And the last of all and maybe the most popular, if the members of this group were ranked...

**Uchiha Sasuke **is not only popular in school but maybe in the whole country. His parents were multibillionaires and his older brother was actually playing in the NBA. Sasuke had thousands of fan girls because of his looks, status, excellent grades and especially his cool yet badass attitude. He is the captain of the basket ball team and the captain of the martial arts club (whose members were only two, him and Naruto and they actually went to every competition, dragging random people if the competition required more than two people). He also played, when he was free that is, in the football team. He played the guitar, drove hot wheels and was excellent in debates.

.

.

.

I don't know why I am musing over this stuff but I just suddenly realized that if I was suppose to sit in the popular table... was I considered popular too? And if yes... what were _my _qualities?

It would, most likely, go like this...

**Hinata **(I don't even have a surname currently) is considered popular because of her quietness, shyness and clumsiness. She was considered popular because she was an interesting subject to be explored.

Like a hamster, perhaps?

"_God Damnit..."_

**Chapter Two  
Crimson Tint**

I looked at the beautiful blue sky, trying to push all the disturbing thoughts out of my brain and trying my best to think of something else. The day was beautiful, the sun was shining and the wind was gentle. It was a perfect weather (for me) to go home, relax, make a light lunch and probably read a book on the terrace.

But there was a problem.

There was always a problem.

Although I was walking down the street through a very long route towards my home and although I was lost in my own thoughts, I wasn't alone.

I was accompanied by three very annoying and loud classmates.

"So Hinata... where do you live?" Sakura asked, straight-forwardly and in a very cheerful voice.

"_In hell..."_

I didn't answer her of course. I had not said a singly word to them after lunch and even though they were, maybe forcefully, sitting next to me and chatting away and saying really flattering things about me during the teacher's lecture. I admit I was quite surprised at all that sugary words and blushed a lot but then I realized that they were probably doing so I would trust her and _open up _to _them_.

I had never opened up before and I didn't even know what was opening up was.

Sakura, taking the hint that I wasn't going to answer, laughed and started a conversation with Ino who was, before, bickering with Naruto.

"Hinata?" Naruto said suddenly said.

I felt my cheeks go warm. Oh my god, he knows my name! Ok... Hinata... don't faint... don't blush... don't stutter...

I looked down at my shoes and quickened my pace.

"Why don't you make friends, open up and tell us about yourself?" Naruto said. I felt his curious gaze at the back of my head.

The conversation between Sakura and Ino stopped at once and they also averted their full attention towards me, waiting for the answer.

I turned my head and looked at them, thoughtfully before shrugging and looking forward again.

"I...I will answer that when you all tell me what's so much fun in knowing ab...about other people and snooping around in their businesses,"

I kept walking and swallowed a huge knot in my throat. I didn't even know where I was going... I was just walking down the streets, aiming for a park.

Though I expected silence as an answer and I was surprised when I heard something else.

Laughter.

I stopped in my tracks, spun around, shocked and stared at the laughing boy. Ino and Sakura looked at him in confused expressions and stopped nevertheless. I looked at him, closing my gaping mouth into a straight line and frowned deeply.

Naruto looked at me, his deep blue eyes twinkling. I felt my heart squeeze dramatically.

"Well, if we don't know about other people's selves then we won't ever get friends and we will all be left isolated. Almost everyone in our group of friends had once experienced loneliness. Being alone is the biggest pain," he smirked at me and closed his eyes, "So we get to understand each other and be friends,"

He gave an energetic thumb up to me. Sakura and Ino nodded in approval at his little yet dramatic speech.

As for me... my reaction was totally different from Sakura, Ino and Naruto.

My felt my body go cold and my mind went numb. I could feel that my face had suddenly frozen still but in a more serious and offensive way. I had never really felt this way before... only once when my cousin had insulted Hanabi on her tenth birthday. She had, like a mother would, stand up for her little sister. She had slapped Neji hard and had comforted Hanabi later who was crying silently.

It was the same feeling that I felt now. I did not understand properly what had me feel like that. I hadn't even felt this enraged furious feeling of denial when my father had dismissed me from the Hyuuga Clan. At that time, I had, miserably accepted those words.

But this feeling of denial was too much too hold back. I wasn't pleased... I wasn't pleased at all.

The smiling trio who were still staring at me and were waiting patiently for my reaction.

I looked straight at them, feeling cold and furious. Feeling as though I have been insulted.

The trio looked surprised at my reaction.

"I am not alone," I said as coldly as I could and then turned my back towards them and started walking, "Don't follow me,"

I could feel their stairs and Sakura even stepped forward, ignoring everything I had said earlier.

For the first time in my life I was glad that my speed was good and even though I had no stealth, my swiftness was above average.

I had turned around the corner, ran, turned again and ran into the alley. I stopped as I strained my ears, trying to hear the calls of surprise from outside the alley. I leaned against the wall, almost hidden behind the huge garbage crate. I wrinkled my nose at the smell and tried to ignore it, waiting for the noises to disappear and the footsteps to go. What the hell were they? Police? It was a good thing that they didn't know my surname or they would have already found out half of the things about me.

I waited five more minutes and when I heard nothing; I straightened up from the wall and took a huge step away from the garbage crate, waving my hand in front of me in distaste.

"You are quite fast you know..."

I jumped out of my skin and spun around so quickly that I felt tears come into my eyes. I took a step backwards.

Because standing only a few feet away from me, his hands in his short's pockets, his black hair sticking out from the back and his bangs slightly damp because of the sweat, his muscles plainly showing as he was wearing a sleeveless basketball shirt, was no other than Uchiha Sasuke himself.

I heart thumped faster and faster until I could suddenly feel my whole body go warm. I took another step back, stumbled and fell on my buttocks.

"_How embarrassing! From all the moments, I have to get clumsy now?!"_

"_Wait..."_

"_I am in a dark alley... alone... with a guy I don't know..."_

"_Oh no... no... no... no...no..."_

Sasuke was staring at me go from red to white to even paler.

What's up with the colour changes anyway?

"I am not a ghost," the teenage heartthrob said, still looking as patient and casual as before.

I closed my mouth and gulped and tried to calm myself.

"_Just a guy... Just a hot guy... NO! HINATA! DONT THINK THAT! Just a guy... He is just like Neji... cool off and casual and attractive and..."_

"_...Nevertheless just a guy..."_

"Were... were you stalking me?" I asked as I staggered onto my feet and brushed off the dirt from my jacket.

He didn't answer but kept staring.

I blinked at him.

"_His face is so emotionless..."_

I turned my back at him, something that I have been doing to a lot of people, and started to walk away.

I suddenly felt a gust of wind against my shoulder and I turned my head at a side, surprised. I shifted my eyes in front and got the shock of my life.

Again.

Standing in front of me, only inches away from my face, was Uchiha Sasuke himself.

I felt my body freeze.

"_MOVE BACK! YOU ARE TOO CLOSE!" _A voice in my head screamed.

I averted my eyes towards his face. Cold onyx eyes stared back at me emotionlessly.

Although his face was pale and handsome but to me, somehow, it didn't look _attractive_. There was a difference between being extraordinary handsome and being attractive.

His cold onyx eyes, his ghost pale complexion, his weird haircut and his fixed scowled like smile.

He was NOT attractive. He was SCARY.

I took a huge step backwards and looked at him in a questioning look.

"What do you want?" I asked.

Sasuke slowly raised his right hand and stretched his five fingers in front of my face. He closed his eyes.

"You have got white eyes which mean that your surname is either Urai," he closed one finger.

"Yukata," Another one closed.

"Korai,"

"Fuunata,"

Sasuke's eyes opened and he fixed his eyes on my stricken face. He closed his thumb, making his once outstretched hand into a fist.

"Or a Hyuuga,"

I felt the surroundings go still for a while. My eyes were fixed on his face. I couldn't believe... I just couldn't...

"_How could he possibly know about the Hyuuga Clan and the four branches that sprouted out of it? This is not good..."_

I blinked at him.

"So what?"

He dropped his hand by his side and looked slightly amused.

"All I need to do is do some research and I will know your surname,"

And then I did something utterly absurd.

I smiled at him and clapped my hands. I gave him a thumbs-up sign.

"Yuppeee... Good for you. After you do that... go treat yourself," I said as sarcastically as I could.

His amused expression vanished at once and was replaced by even a scarier one than before.

"Can I go now?" I asked, dropping my sarcastic act.

There was a minute's silence.

The wind was picking up and the sky was slightly darker than before. Was it going to rain? NO!

"_Ok... let's revise... I am in a dark alley... alone... with a guy I don't know... I have gotten him in a foul mood... and a storm is coming up..."_

"_Oh no... no... no... no..."_

I averted my eyes towards the sky before glancing at the sudden stoic yet sharp Uchiha blocking my way.

He wasn't really giving any reactions and I felt a pang of sympathy for him and his strange attitude that stated that he wasn't really a normal human being. He wasn't really considered emo or anything but she knew that nobody had seen him smile or laugh.

And as I glanced at his handsome (not attractive) features and imagined him smile, I felt a pang of weirdness in my chest. It wasn't a good sight to imagine.

Or maybe my imagination was too negatively.

"Well... see you," I muttered. I suddenly remembered my etiquettes and bowed to him before walking past him. I was glad that he didn't bother to stop me.

After I had walked a couple of blocks away and I was sure nobody was following me in the few passing people in the street, I broke out into a run because the sky was strangely dark and it was rumbling.

I loved the rain but right now, I just wanted to go home and relax my suddenly throbbing head.

But even though I ran full-heartedly, I was soaking wet when I reached my house.

I shivered as climb up the steps and turned the knob of the front door to find it locked. I clicked my tongue in annoyance as I remembered that it was supposed to be locked and started to look for the key. After a few minutes of shuffling, tripping, yanking and what not, I at last grabbed the key at the bottom of my bag and opened the door before shuffling in.

I shut the door behind me, took a step forward and slipped over some water that had dripped from my clothes to the floor making me fell onto the floor face first.

I felt a pang of pain ran through my body and it stayed there for an agonizing minute before I grabbed my paining jaw with my cold wet numb hands. A wimper escaped my lips and I just sat there, nursing my jaw. I felt hot tears rush into my eyes and I didn't bother to stop them flowing.

I sat there for five minutes before stumbling onto my feet and dragging myself to my bedroom.

I threw off my clothes, dried myself and wore another set of my baggy clothes before falling onto my bed.

I looked out of the window and watched the rain fall for sometime.

The joy of cooking dinner had suddenly vanished and it was suddenly replaced my depression and sorrow.

And as I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't understand why I felt that way.

--

**I**** think you guys could easily see that the first part of the story was written by a cheerful me and the rest was completed by a gloomy depressed me. GOD... i never thoughts these emotions can affect so much.**

**Personally, I did not like this chapter. I wanted Gaara to take place of Sasuke in the alley but I wanted this to be sasuhina so I put Sasuke there. Although it looks and maybe read the fine, I wasnt satisfied.**

**Guys... Please to tell me if there is anything wrong until now? Ok? **

**And thanks for the earlier lovely reviews!**


	3. Emerald Breeze

**Underestimated Complications  
by Ayesha Raees**

Long ago in the depth of the lands, now called Japan, a baby boy was born with strange white eyes. He was considered blind but as he grew up and started to learn how to talk and walk, his elders discovered that he was not blind but his white eyes could see better than theirs and he was an extraordinary boy of his age.

At the age of ten, he was a brave boy who often went alone to hunt and got into fights with the elders when he tried to reason and tell them the of the signs that took place when a natural disaster occurs.

The villagers thinking that he was possessed, was betrayed by the village and kicked out.

After that, he became a sailor and sailed over the vast seas and reached the huge land which is now China. He travelled through the land, doing miraculous things and spreading his name; Hyuuga.

He participated in a war; killed, fought, loved, interacted... he was considered a hero in some lands.

He married a beautiful woman in the place which is now Iran and returned back to his homeland; Japan. There he built his home and started a family... a family that contained children with similar eyes and intelligence.

As the time passed and the world matured into the twentieth century, there were changes but there was still a Clan by the name of Hyuuga which was still considered one of the most powerful and honourable clans in all of Japan.

But nothing that is great gets poor. The higher something is, the harder it falls. There were rebellions all over the Clan and groups were formed of different beliefs. Some of them didn't want to be a part of the people who were ruled by the main house and be hidden in shadows but nobody opposed the Hyuuga Heirs rule... they were, by far, the most perfect.

The truth was; there were rebellions because of lack of power, honour and freedom.

So after much killing, fighting and tricks, the different groups formed within the main Hyuuga Estate, separated to become four minor Clans.

**Urai **was formed because the people detested the way the main branch only had the secrets of the Hyuuga and not the other branch members. They argued that they, being all Hyuugas, the knowledge should be shared freely. Though the main branch refused obviously, saying that such dangerous knowledge couldn't be shared this freely. They had their reasons but the rebellions thought that they were keeping everything for themselves. So they made their own Clan and said that one day, their Clan would be as powerful as the Hyuugas and then they will beat the main branch and get the secrets.

**Yukata **was formed by people who didn't believe in the history of the formation of the Hyuugas. They were separated because of different believes in religion, saying that the first person even born with lavender eyes was one of the Angels of God himself.

**Korai **and** Fuunata **were formed because of the reason of power, honour and freedom, saying that they didn't get much of them compared to the main branch.

...

And even though there were rebellions and even though the people separated from their original place and even though there were changes and different Clans were formed... there was one thing that could never change. And that was the power of the main Hyuuga Clan and the dignity and power of the main Hyuuga Family.

And sometimes she didn't understand why she didn't accept her disownment... she was, after all, a stain on that precious dignity. A stain that was wept away by a cloth as soon as realized that it was ugly.

**Chapter three**

**Emerald Breeze**

The sun was shining too high when I woke up, giving me a panicked throb in my empty stomach. Usually I was up at the crack of dawn and the sight of the sun so high in the cloudless blue sky made me dizzy but I didn't move from my position. I was strangely warm and cosy, a few beads of sweat were on my forehead even though I didn't have a nightmare or anything. I lied there for some time, thinking and trying to clear up my mind from the sleepiness. I was always confused in the mornings and it took me, weirdly, a good fifteen minutes to clear up my mind.

Though this time, I thought it was an achievement, that after five minutes I realized the burning feeling in my throat and my hot body temperature, simply indicating that I had a bad fever and I was sick.

And it took me another five minutes to realize that the reason I felt so warm was because of another human body hugging me, hands wrapped around my petite body, face stuffed at the back of my head, in my hair breathing in my scent, one of the bare leg across mine. I could feel the person's chest against my back and the in and out of the breathing.

It took me another minute to smell in the person's scent; mild rosewater and mint.

And then it took me a proper two minutes to realize that I had another person **in my** **bed**. And I didn't know why this (the most obvious) was the last that I realized.

I groaned loudly and was about to kick the person right out of the bed before jumping on top of him and punching on his face and yelling PERVERT on top of my voice THEN calling the cops. I took a deep breathe to get ready, my dizziness slightly replaced by a head aching excitement and then...

"Good morning Hinata-hime," a feminine whisper sounded in my ear, followed closely by a soft moan.

I relaxed and bit my bottom lip, feeling ridiculously supid.

"Good morning... Oka-san," I muttered, shifting slightly, feeling my body ache.

My mother hummed lightly in respond.

"What's the... what's the time?" I asked, trying to pry my mother's arms from around me.

My mother tightened her grip to my annoyance and refused to let go. She loved to sleep in, unlike me who was an early bird. She once told me that when she was married to my father, she used to wake up early too and do gardening which was kind of shocking. I guess who ever went to the Hyuuga Household was possessed by rules and formality.

"I don't know, around ten I guess,"

I sprang up with a loud squeak, throwing my arms in alarm and almost knocking my mother out of the bed. She squeaked, unbalanced, and tried to grab the first thing to pull her self back with and that was my shoulder.

And I, being _so _**strong **and _not _**clumsy **at **all**, gave another alarming shriek like a banshee before toppling over her and we both fell on top of each other on the floor with a very hard bone crunching thug.

Groaning, I smacked my hand on my burning forehead, trying to cool myself off. My mother groaned irritably and looked at me with an annoyed expression.

"You are so clumsy,"

I wasn't in a mood for this.

"I am your child after all," I answered softly.

"Idiot,"

"Pervert,"

I cannot believe it that what was happening to my language. I never EVER used that word before! Look what the others did to me. **Bad **influence!

"I am your mother," she said in an obvious tone.

"What were you doing in my bed?" I snapped.

"You were sick, I was keeping an eye on you," she answered again.

"Was that a joke?"

Our conversation ended with a playful punch from my mother and we got up from the floor.

"I am so late for school," I groaned as I walked towards my washroom, wanting to change quickly and run off to school. But my mother took a handful of my VERY baggy shirt and yanked me back.

"And where do you think you are going young lady?"

I turned and gave my mother an exasperated look.

"Oka-san!" I whined and struggled from her grip, "I need to go to school and make a name for myself or I am doomed!"

It was out of my mouth before I knew it. It was just telling my mother that I was disowned and the only reason I was here because I had no other choice. It was this or being homeless. What would she say now? What would she do? Will she cry? Oh no... Why does this always happen to me?

My mother, being as oblivious as me, laughed.

"Wow and they say that today's teenagers aren't interested in school," she chuckled out and then suddenly looked at me seriously, "You have a fever and you are staying at home today... I already called the school and excused you,"

I stopped struggling and my mother let go of me.

"I don't want to stay in bed," I whined like a kid.

"Hyuuga Hinata, go to bed," her voice was strict but unknown to her, the words stung. They pierced right through my headache and my dizziness, right through my whines and my smiles, right through my soul into my heart... leaving me suddenly cold and numb despite the fever. I stared at my mother for a second who looked back at me in a confused expression. My mother touched me lightly on my shoulder worriedly.

"Are you ok Hinata? Is something wrong?"

The words felt so distant and I wasn't able to absorb the meaning at all even though they were coming from so close to me. I barely felt my mother lead me to bed and I barely felt the softness of the pillows squeeze under my weight... I barely felt my mother rush out of my room in a hurry... maybe to get some medicine.

But there was only one thing I could think of. One thing that was running around in my mind and I didn't know why it had shocked me so much. But it sure had hurt.

I bent down my head, allowing my bangs to cover up my eyes as tears gather in them...

"_Hyuuga Hinata,"_

"_Hyuuga..."_

I looked outside the window, my headache coming back harder than before.

"_Why? Why me?" _

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

After a nap and another few hours of doing nothing, I had at last calmed myself down and was actually enjoying my mother's attention, which I admit, wasn't that bad.

She had, after my nap, told me that she had taken a day off from work and complained that maybe that day the manager would actually do some work and not her, the owner.

She had also made a bowl of chicken soup which surprised me because I always thought she did not know how to cook.

And now, it was near three and school was probably over. I wondered what the others were thinking about her... they were smart enough to figure out she was sick right?

I sighed loudly as I heard my mother step into my room, humming lightly. She sighed loudly before flopping down on my bed and leaning against me as though I was a couch rather than her daughter.

"Oka-san... there is a couch over there," I said, looking across my room to prove the point. Truthfully, I didn't like people getting close to me, hugging me, touching me... I don't know why I had this kind of habit but maybe because I had never experienced it before and when I did now, it felt strange and out of place. Mother left when Hanabi was born and my father or the whole Hyuuga household, for that fact, wasn't really the one to love or touch... we lived in a world of rules and formalities.

Sometimes I wished that I was born in place of Hanabi and Hanabi was my elder sister. I considered Hanabi quite lucky; she had a mother figure who loved her (me), a cousin who was like a brother and also loved her (He hated me), Father who also loved her and looked at her with pride (He looked at me in disgust) and she was probably smarter and prettier than me.

But still... I was... no... I AM her sister and I will love her no matter what happens.

My mother clicked her tongue in annoyance and looked at me in an irritated expression that can easily resemble a child's.

"Psh Hinata... Open up," she muttered.

"_Right..."_

My mother straightened up but still kept sitting. She put her hand on my forehead.

"Your fever is gone," she said happily.

"_I know..."_

There was a minute silence as she pulled her hand back and started to look at the ceiling with a soft expression.

I suddenly felt guilty that I have been ignoring her and not appreciating her care even though she was trying her best... I wasn't that type of girl who is mean and hurt people by ignoring them or yelling at them. Sure I wanted to change but if doing that was change, I didn't want to change at all.

I sighed inwardly and racked my brain for a question... I know if the question was good enough, my mother would go on about it for hours and I wouldn't have to bother asking another one. I wasn't much when it came to conversations but I was a good listener.

"Umm... Okasan? How's work going on these days?" I asked softly.

And that, immediately brighten up my mother's mood. She gave me a huge smile, her emerald eyes shining brightly, her pale cheeks getting a quick red colour... wow... my mother is way to pretty for anyone.

"Well... thanks for asking... work is going great! As my shop's fifth anniversary is coming up, I want to do a huge celebration! I am currently working on these new sets of gowns and they are **so **pretty! It's going to attract thousands of customers. And then in the winter hols, I want to go over to the next city and open my branch there. The shop is already brought and work is progressing there too. Now all I need is to get a model from those amazing dresses and launch the new products! It's going to be great!"

I raised my eyebrows at my mother happy carefree face and I wondered how my father loved such a childish woman. He hated me. But I was unconfident where as my mother was... well... as confident as a president.

"So when's the anniversary?" I asked slowly.

"In two weeks, everything is ready... I only have to kick the manager to find a good model!"

"Sounds great Oka-san!"

Silence again.

"So how's school going on?" My mother asked.

"_You want to know how it's going. Well they think I am a mysterious child fallen from the sky who is hated by everyone and a group of people have taken sympathy on me and is trying to be friends with me! Its pity! What would father say? I am just putting the Hyuuga name in dirt! WHY didn't I have green eyes like my mother so when I was disowned people won't think that I belonged to the Hyuuga Clan or another of its branches! It's embarrassing and I feel like hell everyday! It's like... nobody knows what I am going through and I am too afraid to tell anyone! I am disgraceful! Okasan... DISGRACEFUL!"_

"School's going great,"

"_Damn it."_

"I am glad that you are fitting right in,"

There was a minute silence, both of us suddenly lost in our own thoughts.

"Hinata?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you,"

I jerked my head upright, staring at my mother's face, searching for an explanation. Anything in her eyes, face... anything.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I was as oblivious as anything.

My mother looked at me.

"Thank you for coming and staying with me... it means a lot to me," she whispered.

I blinked up at her and smiled back.

"Of course Oka-san,"

Strangely, I felt bitter in my voice that went unnoticed.

"_I had no other choice,"_

"_Sorry,"_

0000000000000000

Six in the evening and I was allowed to get out of bed. I quickly washed up, combed my long hair and decided to tie them up in a high pony tail instead of letting them down as usual, grabbed a pink t-shirt, a white capris and my jacket. I changed and bounded downstairs, thinking to cook something to thank for mother for making me well again.

But I stopped just outside my kitchen, listening to the heating up conversation on the phone. My mother was actually yelling.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND A MODEL!?"

"WHAT!?"

Silence.

"WHAT ABOUT MISA!? HIKARI!?"

I frowned.

"AND WHO'S FAULT IS THAT!?"

I started to walk into the kitchen, telling myself that eavesdropping was BAD.

"YOU ARE THE WORST MANAGER EVER KAKASHI! WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO NOW!?"

Silence.

"Fine... I am coming over,"

I heard my mom slam the phone so hard that some of the crockery in the kitchen clatter against each other. I opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water.

I was pouring myself a glass of cold water when my mom barged into the kitchen, dressed in a knee length skirt and a blue blouse that looked amazing on her.

"Hinata let's go,"

"Eh?"

I stared at my mom in confusion and stopped doing what I was or I knew I would do some kind of accident, being a uni-directional loser I am.

"Well... hurry up," my mother said in an irritated voice.

"Where?" I asked.

"To work! It's time you see what I do and where my shop is,"

I slowly drank some water and when I was done, I sighed loudly, quickly thinking of some excuse.

"But... I want to cook dinner,"

"_Oh Bravo Hinata... you rock at this!"_

My mother frowned at me, sighed, grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the house, ignoring my protests and loud _"EEeps!"..._ What is wrong with people these days? Dragging me here and there and ignoring my _EEeps!_

I silenced as my mother locked the house and then dragged me to the car before pushing me in the passenger seat. I feel like a **rag doll** dragged here and there. Don't I have any purpose! I am a human being for god sakes!

My mother seated herself behind the wheel and looked at me and giggled. I pouted.

"You so cute Hinata-hime! Just like a **china doll**!"

"_Oh freakin' world..."_

0000000000000000

My mother stopped in front of a posh looking mall that I have never seen before, and stepped out of the car, motioning me to get out too. I sighed loudly, tugged my jacket closer to me and opened the door and stepped out in the sunny day. The smell of fresh air freshened up my mind a little and I felt awake from my soggy senses.

I followed my mom into the mall and into a very beautiful, posh looking shop that made me gasp. I stood outside, gazing at the transparent windows and at the beautiful elegant dresses that made me, strangely, blush and ponder at a thought how I would look in them. Blue satins, pink ribbons, white frills... there were even some fancy looking kimonos that glittered in the bright light. I looked at the name of the shop. The name **"Tsuki's Elegance"** was written with a slanting violet colour and decorated sparks.

For the first time in my life, I thought the word ELEGANCE totally matched the sight in front of me.

I stepped into the shop, my blush disappearing as I followed my mother quietly, looking around at some of the shoppers who had stopped to look at my beautiful mother and some of the employees who looked alert to suddenly see the owner. But my mother ignored them all and marched at the end of the shop and opened a door, leading to the office.

I hesitated a bit and stepped in anyway; feeling that I would probably die if I stood alone with all those curious stares directed at me.

The office was totally different from the shop. It was littered by pamphlets and papers unlike the shop which was spotlessly clean. The room smelt of roasted peanuts and donuts.

And when I looked at the man talking on the phone behind the desk, his silver hair shining and his face covered in a mask... and with one look at him, I knew that he didn't work and probably got beaten a lot by her mother.

Because holding in his hand, was a book called **"Iccha Iccha Tactics"**.

At the sight of my mother looming figure, the manager quickly dropped the receiver back onto the phone and looked at her in with a scared expression.

"Hatake Kakashi... you are fired!" My mother snapped.

I blinked up at her feeling rather weird and sad for the other man. Kakashi looked at her with a blank expression.

"Really?"

"NO! You are staying! Where is the freaking model?! Do you want to ruin my business Kakashi!? DO YOU!? Do you want me to close this shop!? What are you plotting!? What are you thinking? What are...?"

I gulped loudly, feeling uneasy, and took a step back, deciding that I would simply slip out of the office without being noticed. Though Kakashi noticed my presence.

He glared at me suddenly and my mother stopped yelling.

"Who are you?"

"Aahh... ano..."

"KAKASHI! STOP BULLYING MY DAUGHTER!" my mother snapped, hitting him on his shoulder. The silver haired man shuddered suddenly.

"Since when did you have a daughter Tsuki?" he snapped.

"Since she was born dumbass,"

"Don't call me a dumbass you mad woman!"

"WHAT!? Me and mad? You **are** a DUMBASS! You haven't hired a model yet and we need to start shooting! I select the crew, I select everything... I do all the work! I do EVERYTHING! And YOU can't even select a MODEL!?"

There were more yells and I stepped out of the office as quietly as I could and decided to exit the shop and walk home but I stopped midway when I thought that was a bad thing, leaving my mother like that. So I sighed and fidgeting slightly at the looks of the employees, started to look around at my mother's work.

I looked at a kimono, so elegant and beautiful, sheets of soft silk and satin wrapped around the dummy and designs of fallen Sakura Blossoms looking amazing. It reminded me of the times that I had to dress up in the Hyuuga Compound for formal events... it was always kimonos, even to parties where everyone wore skimpy dresses and what not but I always wore kimonos. I loved them, they were pretty and it showed a person's true beauty. I had never wore a skimpy party dress in my life and I wouldn't want to either because I had an embarrassing body and I wasn't comfortable at showing my skin. But seeing all those amazing dresses made my heart quench a little, thinking that I would probably make them look horrible if I ever wore them. I wasn't like Sakura or Ino and maybe I would never be. I always needed a cover to hide behind. It can be anything; a jacket, my long cascade of hair, a different attitude... I was afraid that if I even revealed anything of mine that was true... I would be embarrassed and teased... I would be humiliated. I wasn't confident enough.

Hell... if anyone was in my place, they would have already committed suicide.

And that was the problem, nobody was like me and because of that, I had to keep my worries and my problems to myself because I knew that if I tell anyone about them, they won't probably understand and will only offer sympathy.

And those sighs of impatience and those disgusted pitiful eyes... I knew of them... they were the same as my father's.

I sighed loudly, tearing my eyes away from the beautiful fabric and onto something that looked more like me, the floor... plain and simple.

I walked towards the counter where a young girl was sitting, filing her nails, and looking oblivious of the world around her. I leaned against the counter, ignoring her sudden stare and averted my eyes from the floor to the ceiling.

The counter girl cleared her throat irritatingly, trying to get my attention and I inwardly twitched at her.

Can't anybody tell that she was an important person and was the daughter of the owner? She admitted that she wasn't as beautiful and as elegant as her mother but there were some similarities between her and her mother that can easily be indentified. Like their fair skin and midnight blue hair. Can't anyone see that?

Or the fact that she had lavender eyes and she had to be treated with _respect_? It irritated her... a lot. When she used to go to formal parties, everybody showed her family such respect that it made her uneasy. But when everyone parted, meeting other people and she was left alone, she wasn't respected anymore. She was just a plain stupid girl.

Maybe I never had that amazing grace that my family had. Maybe that was the reason my father disowned me.

Why was I so different?

The counter girl grunted loudly.

Sometimes, she had wished, sitting in her old room that she didn't belong to the Hyuuga Family at all and she was just an average girl. But now that she was, she couldn't take it anymore... if she isn't accepted back into the Clan and she lives like the way she was doing, she would never be able to face herself. She would feel down and sick, it wouldn't matter to her anymore to live or die. It would be like running away and admitting defeat. And after some time, the reality will come hit her face and she had to face her family some day and face those horrible stares.

The stares that will simply state that they never expected her to try to get back anyway... that she was too pathetic anyway.

I inhaled deeply. I had only one goal and that was to get back to where I belonged even though I was unhappy there.

"Look missy! This is a freaking shop! Not a rest house! If you want to buy anything then do so or get out!!" The counter girl yelled loudly, snapping me out of my thoughts and I looked at her, startled. I closed my gaping mouth and try not to blush from all the stares I was getting.

I was about to say something lame when the door of the office slammed open and Kakashi walked into the store, his hand over his only visible eye and he sighed loudly.

He dully walked towards the counter, a sober expression on his face and he slammed his head onto the counter. I looked even more startled.

"That woman is mad... no wonder she is single," he told me as though I wasn't related to her at all.

I looked really uncomfortable. The counter girl raised her eyebrows at me, flipping away some of her black bangs.

Kakashi sighed loudly and removed his hand from his eye. I gasped to see a huge black bruise on his eye.

"Are you alright?" I asked concerned, noting down to give my mother a lecture on this.

Kakashi looked back at the counter girl who, flirtatiously, smiled at him and put a cup of coffee in front of him. He muttered a thank you and looked at me again.

"When did she adopt you?" he asked.

"Ano... I am her real child," I answered him.

He responded me with a blank look and sighed loudly.

"I am confused but I don't want to know,"

I was about to say something to end the conversation but decided against it. I mean who am I kidding? I don't even know the guy. I averted my eyes to the floor and then outside the glass doors where my heart suddenly stopped.

They were here.

My eyes opened so wide that I felt that that they will pop out. I felt my body shake violently and I clenched my hands into fists... I felt my face drain of colour.

They were heading this way.

Ignoring the very observing look given by Kakashi, I turned around and hurried to the office which had a huge sign **"No Entry for Customers!"** I heard them enter, chatting merely, as I jerked open the door and slammed it shut before me.

Exhaling such a huge breathe of relief that I didn't remember taking in, I pushed back my bangs out of eyes and held my face in my hands for sometime.

"Are you okay Hinata?"

I jerked my head upwards, startled at the voice and relaxed when I saw my mother sitting beside the desk, flipping through a book.

"I...I am fine," I muttered, opening a door a little and peaking out.

Sakura was laughing at a joke that Naruto had cracked; Ino was looking at a dress and talking to Shikamaru and Gaara for advice. Shikamaru grunted and Gaara looked away, feeling out of place in a lady's dress shop. Sasuke was leaning against a faraway wall, his eyes closed and an emotionless look on his face.

I cursed my luck... from all the malls in the city, they have to hang out in this one and from all those shops in the mall, and they had to come here. Why? If she was caught, everything was ruined. Her mother was here with her and she will probably mistake them as her friends and she will go bounding out, dragging her out too and introducing herself and calling her **Cute **again and again. She shuddered at the thought.

Maybe Sasuke already knew that she was a Hyuuga and was disowned... maybe he already knew everything. He was an Uchiha, that Clan's history was rich... maybe richer than hers. Of course he would know things of their rivals, the Hyuuga Clan.

This was not good.

I racked my mind for something that probably wasn't there but even then; found myself thinking ridiculous stuff like pressing the fire alarm or telling my mother the truth.

Though I knew I have to tell my mother _something _if I had to avoid trouble.

"Mmm... are those your friends?"

I squeaked so loudly that the group looked at the door after I had slammed it quickly shut. Turning around, my face pink, I face my mother who was standing a few feet in front of me with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Okasan... listen," I muttered and my mom gave me her full attention. I gulped loudly.

"_Now what?"_

"Those kids out there are really bugging and I want to avoid them so if you don't mind can I stay here?"

I gave her my best pout. And that melted my mother expression.

Into anger.

"They bully you huh? I will teach them a lesson,"

She pushed opened the door and I grabbed my arm and pulled her back in. The door again slammed.

I panted; they didn't see me did they?

"Okasan! They are not bullies... they are the popular group and if they know that I am your daughter, they will take advantage of me,"

"_Wow... I am actually telling the truth in a weird distorted horrible freaking way,"_

My mother confused innocent face sagged in a sudden unknown realization, her eyes dropping to the floor in a sad expression. My heart clenched tightly... what did I do?

She looked at me and gulped so loudly that even I could hear... she forced a smile on her lips. _Fake._

"It's okay Hinata if you don't want to tell them that I am your mother... I don't mind at all," she muttered and turned her back towards me.

I blinked in realization at what had I just said.

"No Okasan I..."

"It's okay Hinata... You can go talk to your friends; I promise I won't interfere,"

"_Oh Damn it... she misunderstood,"_

"But I..."

My mother spun around, a laugh playing on her face as she opened the door and pushed me outside to my horror, giving me a reassuring smile that easily looked like a fake one.

My door slammed behind me and I stood there, feeling guilty and so crappy that I felt like puking. I gulped down the guilt... somehow I knew that behind that door, my mother was silently crying.

She was so like me.

I am such a horrible person.

I slipped my hands into my pockets in an ignorant manner, trying my best not to notice the group's gasping unbelievable expressions that I, Hinata, had emerged from the office of a very famous dress shop.

There can be several conclusions running through their mind like...

**One: **I was really poor and I have been here for a job but the manager rejected me.

**Two: **I skipped school because I was too poor to attend it.

**Three: **I am dumb (Don't ask me how I come to this conclusion...)

**Four: **I just offended the manager and he/she kicked me out.

OR **Five: **the Uchiha find out the truth, told the others and they came here to investigate.

Even though my face was set in a dreamy, dazed, ignorant expression, I felt a twisting feeling of panic, dread, guilt and horror in my chest.

As casually as I could, I looked up and saw all of them still staring at me in a questioning, confused look.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Kakashi sigh loudly and the counter girl put down her file to stare up at me as though she had another person to spread the rumours about.

"Hi Hinata! What are you doing here?" Sakura asked with a quick grin. Naruto looked slightly uneasy, Ino looked startled, Shikamaru looked bored and worst of all were Sasuke's and Gaara's **very **observant and piercing looks.

I felt sweat at the back of my neck and I felt even more sick. What should I say?

I can't certainly say that I worked here or they will certainly think that I was poor. If I don't answer, they will think that I had a very important thing to hide... what do I do?

"Shopping," I answered, staring at them as though it was nothing wrong with it.

"Really? I never thought you were into dresses!" Sakura exclaimed.

I tried to smile but didn't because my mind wasn't working. I felt horrible.

"But why were you in the office?" Ino asked, curiously.

"_WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THEM!?"_

"Placing an order for a dress," I muttered.

"_Did I just called myself fat?"_

Sakura laughed as though I had just told a joke.

"That's great! What's the function huh? Party? What kind of?" she asked, winking at me.

I felt like punching her face.

I looked at her coldly.

"Funeral,"

"_Hinata... please stop lying," _

All the smiles disappeared and there was an uneasy silence. I rotated my shoulders as though I haven't said anything and walked passed them without another glance, out of the door, out of the mall and on to the road.

I started to walk down the road, my head down, my bangs perfect for hiding my face, my breathes shallow, my chest clutching...

What the hell was happening to me? Is this called changing? It's like I am turning into Neji without a shit about other people's feelings! I wasn't like this! I was never like this! And now that I have magically turned into Neji, I feel horrible... so horrible that I felt like killing my self right there and then.

Suicide was not an option but it sounded tempting.

I shook my head and stopped suddenly, looking around startled at where my feet had carried me. I was standing in a middle of a huge public park, trees people jogging around me.

I walked deeper into the trees, wanted to be alone from everything... into darkness.

I sighed deeply and sat down under a tree's shade, completely hidden in the shadows, and closed my eyes, my hand reaching to grab the place where my heart was.

When she was young and she had seen Neji being doubtlessly praised by her father at what he had achieved, she had wished from the very bottom of heart, with such desire that it had hurt, that she could be more like him. Brave, cold, strong... everything.

And now after everything was lost and she had taken so many countless painful blows, she realized that she had suddenly turned into him. She was powerful as she had withstood those blows; she was brave because she wanted to achieve her position back into the Clan, she was cold because she made other people worst than crap and made them cry either from the outside or from the inside.

She was changing and she didn't like it all.

When she was in primary, she had seen Neji be mean to her and all his classmates, he was alone never had friends, he was just cold. She had thought that he did that because he liked it, he was satisfied as he saw others cowering around, afraid of him. She had thought that it made him even feel more special and different... a prodigy of a Hyuuga.

But she was wrong, she was doing the same thing but it hurt... it hurt like hell... she didn't know that she could ever experience such pain. It was like her heart was on fire, screaming for water but never getting any. It was like the oxygen around her refused to give any to her and every second; it was getting harder and harder to breathe. It was like the darkness was inviting her to come and taint it red and wet.

Maybe Neji had felt the same way? Maybe... he just felt frustrated, confused... angry and he didn't mean anything that he did and people had just misunderstood him and backed away from him. He had just needed an outlet to let go of his frustration, his anger... his hatred... and before he knew it, everyone was walking away from him, leaving him even more alone in the agonizing darkness.

She had turned into him. She felt something else and did something else... it was like, she couldn't comprehend anymore.

She remembered her mother... her sweet caring mother... she was with her until the age of three. She had held her hand and loved her, kissed her, hugged her... and the next day, she was gone. She had remembered herself running down the hallways, crying, calling her name but she had suddenly disappeared. When she got older, she learned she was dead.

But she wasn't... and she was even more frustrated at her.

Maybe her own smiles and laughs weren't enough to hide that feeling of hatred and anger at her mother. She had just left without an explanation, a kiss, a touch... nothing...

Maybe that was how Neji had felt when at the age of five himself, his father had suddenly disappeared. Without a word or anything... but he was really dead. She knew he was... it had happened in front of her.

But she was always different; she was forgiving, she was nice, understanding, loving, caring and selfless...

But maybe right now... her heart was like this but her mind and body had refused to be like it anymore... it was automatic. Her mind and body wanted her to be different, to be more defensive but her heart... it can never change.

Neji was like that too... she knew deep down in his heart, he was the same happy, cheerful and loving cousin who had commented that she was cute when she had turned three.

Time goes by and body and mind grows old... but the heart is always the same. And that even hurts more.

Neji must have felt even worst than her when they were young. He must have felt so different and alone, like he didn't belong in this world anymore... he had nobody to care for him and we had to take him in as his mother had died giving birth to him. She remembered those rainy days when she would talking to her sister gently like a mother and he was sitting some distance away, looking at them with such thirst that she had felt so uneasy. His eyes, at that time, wasn't cold anymore... but were clouded... clouded with pain, memories and thirst of a few words of comfort, love or friendship... or even a hug.

If she ever saw Neji again, she would bow down low and apologize. Then she would smile at him so cheerfully that he would blush. She would ask him to be her friend forever so he wouldn't feel alone.

Her heart churned suddenly.

They were doing the same thing for her. They had realized by the look that she wore... the loneliness, the pain... everything. And they had come to her, smiled at her, said to be friends, allowed to sit with them, told her to open up...

Just like the way she had just promised herself that she would never leave Neji alone again, they had promised themselves the same thing.

I licked my lips, feeling the touch of salt. I looked down and wasn't surprised to see my shirt wet from tears.

I closed my eyes, allowing more tears to break through.

They were not going to leave her alone.

And that probably meant that each one of them had suffered like her.

I covered my face with my hands, shivering and sobbing.

"_I am really oblivious..."_

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**Well... this chapter was very long! I hope you enjoyed it. The story is going to built up really slowly... Please review! **


	4. Gold Light

**Underestimated Complications**

**By Ayesha Raees**

My mother disappeared when I was very young… so young that I don't even remember the exact dates, which I think, I should have. Hanabi, my younger sister, was born and after mere months, my mother disappeared. To me, the situation was beyond comprehendible; my father changed overnight… from a strict yet gentle man he turned into a harsh, bad mouth stoic man and I was his constant tool of frustration.

Some said my mother had passed away in a car crash, some said she did not want to live with my father anymore… Nobody was ever sure. One day she was there, her painted lips stretched into a gentle smile as she glided around in the corridors like a geisha and the next day, I could not even trace her scent.

Life was harsh for me… really.

And then, there I was, kicked out from the Hyuuga Compound with only ten thousand yens in one pocket and a half eaten mint chocolate in other. It was pouring heavily and I was soaked to the ground and yet… I just stood there in the middle of street, producing my own rain… with no where to go.

That even the stupid telephone booth looked attractive enough to spend a night in. I entered and sat down in the freaking small booth, hugging myself, trying to console myself.

And then… a miracle happened.

The phone book fell on my head and toppled onto the floor… opening a middle page, and on the freaking top of the page was my mother's name and phone number.

Miracles.

Jesus.

Was I glad to _remember_ my mother's name.

**Chapter four**

**Gold Light**

There was no difference in the situation from then and now, I mused sombrely as I dragged my feet in the middle of the street, with the rain pattering over me. It was raining back then too and I was lost then too… just like now.

No freaking difference.

I sighed out loudly and stopped walking, trying to make a list of things to do when I reached home.

Ok… first, I will dry myself or I will have a fever again. Second, should I consult my mother about my life and her about hers? Or should I just leave it as it is? Maybe the conclusion was in the whole heart to heart talking… maybe we both needed it. After all my mother hadn't seen me grow up to the freak show I have become and neither have I seen my graceful yet strict mother grow into a all-night-party-get-drunk-break-things-kill-men kind of woman.

Yeah maybe we needed to talk. Maybe I needed to confront her. Maybe this was for the better.

And there, in the pouring rain, I hesitated with my imaginary things to do list. What if I hurt my mother in some kind of way? What if… I say something stupid? I had no control over my body or my brain anymore… it felt like it was on an automatic self-defence mode. What if I yell at her for the reason she left us all and refuse to understand…? What if I increased her guilt? She is already trying so hard to make it up to me even though she doesn't show. The way she asks me about my school, the way she tends to me when I am sick, the way she advices me with whatever the problem I have… she is trying to be a mother and I did not want to take that away from her.

"_Are you satisfied with her broken like that?"_

No. I was not. It was my fault after all. I knew it that the old Hinata, who was kicked out of the house with no where to go, was far better than the current Hinata I had become. That Hinata was kind. This Hinata was hurtful. I wanted, weirdly, become the previous Hinata because that's what my environment wanted.

Hyuuga Hiashi did not want any kind of Hinata. Why was she practicing being harsh and hurtful?

I covered my dripping face with my hand.

Because I wanted to become the future Hyuuga Heiress.

"_Is that your dream?"_

"I don't have any dream," I seethed out.

Suddenly the rain stopped and a shadow fell over me. My heart skipped a beat as I turned around quickly ready to knock out the robber/rapist/evil persona that was going to take advantage of my depression.

And yet… I had to stop myself.

There, with a huge black umbrella in his hand, which now covered me too, was no other than the devil himself.

Uchiha Sasuke.

I tried to ease my beating heart and regarded him with a frightened and panicked look. Just as the old Hinata should have done.

"You are soaking wet," he told me the latest news on the Hinata-online-news-channel.

Biting my tongue back with a sarcastic remark, I quickly rubbed away my eyes and the stupid tears in them. Just like old Hinata.

"Wh-what a-a-are you doing h-here?" I stuttered in a low voice, looking away from his fixed onyx gaze.

"You are stuttering," he reported again. He should work for a News Channel when he should grow up. Oh wait… Damn… he was an Uchiha.

"S-sorry,"

Was I this weak when I was the old Hinata?

Sasuke heaved out a huge sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

"Why are you apologizing for? You are acting weird all of a sudden,"

Will he stop reporting the obvious already?

I closed my eyes shut.

"I am _SORRY _ok?" I snapped, coming back to the new improved Hinata that I had become.

I wanted to run away again. The urge was so powerful that I sharply turned away from him and took the first step to sprint but suddenly, with such swiftness and power, my arm was grabbed and I was pulled back that I bumped into Uchiha Sasuke's chest.

Anger grew inside me as the rain again crashed on me… this time soaking the Uchiha too. Apparently, he had thrown the umbrella away to grab me.

He turned me harshly around that I was facing his face now; our eyes met… narrowed onyx met frustrated lavender… his face was controlled and yet, for me, it was still full of anger and venom.

My heart was beating faster than it was humanly possible.

"You freaking think that you have every right to act like you are doing now? Do you have any fucking idea how you made us feel back there? And it wasn't actually real!" he seethed out, his grip on my shoulders tightening. The frustration on my face immediately melted away.

"You fucking think…" he took a huge breath to calm himself and then looked at me with such intensity that my breath hitched up in my throat, "… that you can treat people like shit if you are treated like that?"

"Yo-you don't know me!" I said, trying to get a word in his mindless anger. All my life I have been a good girl… and now that I have changed… the whole world has a problem with me?

"I freaking know you _Hyuuga Hinata!" _

My heart fell from my chest and my new façade, which I had thought would protect me from everything, shattered. Tears welled up in my eyes and my face crumbled with pain. Sasuke froze in his actions as the change came over me. Tears, faster than the rain, began to overflow from the boundaries of my eyes and I began to sob like an idiot. Sasuke immediately let go off me and I fell backwards in the puddle, with my head in my knees… trying to control my over flowing emotions.

"Y-you don't know anything about me," I whispered loud enough for him to hear, "I-I-I a-am s-sorry for the w-ay I-I a-acted… r-r-eally I am. P-p-please leave me al-alone,"

There was silence as rain pattered around us continuously and I tried to control my tears.

"_You are just like my father Uchiha-san… you are either silent or yelling daggers,"_

I felt him step forward and bent down in front of me.

"Hinata…" he sighed out, his voice laden with guilt. If it wasn't for the immense flow of emotions inside of me and the fast flowing tears that ran down my cheeks, I would have been surprised at his guilt laden slightly soft voice.

But currently I had way too many worries to deal with.

"Sharing your problems with your friends is the right thing to do. Keeping everything inside not only makes you miserable but it also makes the people around you miserable,"

Uchihas were not supposed to be deep.

I controlled my tears and looked up at him. His face was emotionless but his eyes shown with a hint of generosity.

"We both have many similarities. One of them being that we both were bought up in prestige clans… but you know… the way they have bought us up, in my opinion, has actually made us blind. Don't you think so?" He mused over his thoughts, sitting down next to me.

I had long before stopped crying and was staring at him with a silent expression. We both were in a weird situation… a situation I wouldn't have able to handle but Sasuke was doing great. Here we were, acting like old buddies, cross legged in the middle of the road while rain poured down at us… waiting for a speeding car to come and drive us over and send us to heaven.

Yes… a situation I could not certainly handle.

"But you know," he whispered, looking directly at my flushed face, "the question always is… what do you want?"

_What do I want?_

"The question seems simple enough doesn't it?"

I looked away from him and hugged my knees to myself, resting my chin on top of them.

"It's not that simple actually," I replied to him.

"Oh?" he muttered questioningly, shifting in his position to listen to more.

For the first time in my life, I wanted to say a lot more than I intended to. Doesn't matter if something little slips by, does it now? And Uchiha Sasuke seemed like a reliable man… well… to some extent.

"You know," I tried to make it simple, "sometimes a person is forced to do something, or a series of events forces them to…"

I felt a knot form in my throat. I felt his eyes bore into my skull.

"… or it's just a simple question of pride,"

We both were silent for a long time.

"I am sorry for everything," I broke the silence.

"Why are you apologizing again and again?" he muttered in an irritated voice.

Yes… Uchiha Sasuke was back to his normal self and, for some reason unknown, I felt glad.

I got up and brushed my jeans. The rain was slowly reducing itself to a drizzle and I felt my spirit renewed. Who would have thought that by sharing only a little of my opinion in a small conversation could make me feel this way?

I offered my hand to Sasuke who was staring at me with an observant intense glaze. Seeing my hand in front of his face, he jolted out of his thoughts and scowled deeply before scoffing.

"What?" I asked confused.

He got up with a single swift movement without my help.

"Now don't go thinking that I need any kind of your help," he muttered coldly.

I blinked at his changed attitude and sighed loudly, stuffing my cursed hand in my pocket and looking away from him. Uchihas will be Uchihas. Hyuugas will be Hyuugas.

A small smile tug on my lips.

And Hinata will always be Hinata.

* * *

He insisted on walking to my home. I insisted on going alone. We both insisted on doing things that we both desired, not giving in. Yet in the end, I had no choice in the matter. I had scoffed as arrogantly as I could and had sprinted away and when I thought I was far away from him, I turned back my head and he was there, smirking and shaking his head.

"You can't beat me in this stupid game of yours Hyuuga!"

And after that word, I felt pain jolt through my body and all my positive thoughts about him, vanished into thin air.

"Don't call me that!" I snapped.

"Call you what?" he was actually confused.

"Hy-Hyuuga!" I muttered.

"Eh? What's wrong with that? I thought you would have liked it when you mentioned the whole pride thing?"

He had, in the end, misunderstood.

"I have a name you know!" I defended, stupidly.

"Well so do I,"

"And you are suggesting?"

He sighed loudly.

"You call me Sasuke and I will call you Hinata ok?"

I raised my eye brows at him.

"Well that's not much to ask now is it?" I commented on his request and started walking again, he following close behind me.

"So how did you know where I was?" I asked.

"Coincident,"

"Oh… how did you find me?"

"Coincident,"

"Where were you going?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Coincident,"

"Shut up,"

I laughed loudly. He scoffed.

"So why did you confront me?" I asked seriously, wanting to know the answers to the questions more than anything.

"I was angry I guess… I wanted to give you a piece of my mind," he said honestly.

"Oh… did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Argh… Sasuke! Give a piece of your mind?"

He sighed loudly.

"You are talkative,"

"You are annoying,"

"Why thank you… I get that a lot and I don't feel an ounce of shame hearing that,"

"Of course you don't. Uchiha pride even takes insults as compliments,"

"And this comes from a snobby Hyuuga,"

I stopped in my tracks and turned around furiously.

"I am, for one thing, NOT SNOBBY!!"

"Prove it,"

I looked at him with a heavy flustered face and glittering eyes before turning away.

"YOU ARE ANNOYING!"

"Should I repeat my statement that I kindly stated earlier?"

And with a loud _HMPH_, I stomped away.

* * *

The morning was cold. The rain had stopped and a lazy sun was lingering in the horizon. The wind was blowing and it was obvious that winter was approaching soon.

"_Only two months left to December_," I mused as I wore an extra shirt to subside the cold when I went jogging.

Glancing at my reflection one last time, I skipped downstairs.

When I had reached home last night, I was in a great mood. I didn't worry about the future or sobered over the past. I didn't think what to do with my mother… I was so relaxed that I skipped upstairs, stripped and went straight to bed.

My mother, last night, had long gone to bed which was weird because she was not only a workaholic but loved to sleep late. Most of the time I would see her dozed off on the couch in front of a late talk show on TV or ordering pizza at midnight just for fun.

In fact, I believed, my mother always enjoyed herself living like this. She never felt lonely in such a humungous house and kept having fun with no company at all. My mother, for one thing I can see, was not lonely in her life.

I entered the kitchen for a quick glass of water when I stopped in my tracks, my heart thudding against the rib cage.

There she was. My mother. Sitting on the table wearing a bath robe. Her hair was wet and she looked refreshed. Though I could see that her eyes were still puffy and my face was still tired.

She hadn't slept early after all.

We both stared at each other for a good long time, not knowing what to say. I, not wanting to make eye contact anymore, allowed my eyes to linger on the objects of the kitchen. I, slightly amused, saw the fry-pan on the stove with a burned breakfast and the trash bin full of burnt toasts and thousands of egg shells.

"I-I tried to make breakfast for you," my mother explained quietly. Of course she did. Before I entered this house, the kitchen was covered in a ten foot of dirt. Now… it was shining like anything.

Well… before my mom attempt at breakfast anyway.

"Thanks," I muttered and smiled at her a little.

There was silence.

"I couldn't make anything," she confessed.

"Doesn't matter," I answered her.

I opened the fridge and took out a cold bottle of water.

"Hinata… I need to talk to you about something," my mother began. I paused in my actions before slowly closing the fridge and sitting across my mother, staring at her.

"I want to tell you something too," I confessed. She can't certainly kick me out of her house when she, too, was no longer a Hyuuga.

"Let me go first," she urged and closed her eyes tiredly before opening them again and looking at me.

"Hinata, I was never a Hyuuga,"

I stared at her with widened eyes.

"It is in the book that a Hyuuga must marry a Hyuuga in order to expand their own clan. Even the branch members are supposed to marry Hyuugas. A marriage outside the Hyuuga Clan for a Hyuuga is, nearby, impossible. You can probably think that for the main branch, it was even more than impossible,"

She pushed back her hair from her face and continued.

"I met your father in university. I belonged to a normal family and had gotten lucky with a scholarship to a prestige university. We both were doing business and were in the same class. We actually met through a mutual friend." She paused, "You can probably guess what happened next… we both fell in love as time passed. Though I knew, deep inside, that having a relationship with somebody who had a higher status than me was not a good thing. I should have avoided such a thing but I was… ignorant. I was the type of girl who would look at a person straight in the eye regardless of status and tell him what I was thinking. I thought that God made us all equal and no one was better than the other… maybe this is what attracted Hiashi to me… I don't know,"

I watched her with my throat gone dry.

"After university, Hiashi proposed to me. At that time, I fairly thought that Hyuugas were nice disciplined people. I had no idea about the Hyuuga marrying Hyuuga rule or the fact that there were even different branches sprouting from the main branch. I didn't know anything. I accepted the proposal of course and my parents were tremendously happy. How can a normal girl belonging to a normal family get so lucky and become the wife of a great Hyuuga?"

"During the time when I was engaged, I never knew how Hiashi struggled with his father about this issue of marrying a person outside his clan. He broke off his engagement with his cousin. He broke up so many rules to be with me. If I had any idea what Hiashi was doing, I would have never married him,"

My mother reached for my untouched glass of water and drained it down her throat.

"After marriage, when I entered the Hyuuga Compound, everybody regarded me with eyes of hostility. I heard them call me names behind my back. "Outcast," they said… "Even the servants are Hyuugas," they said. It was hard to live in such an atmosphere though I was strong but it still hurt that I was not welcomed,"

"Mom…" I whispered quietly, feeling tears burn into my eyes.

My mom ignored me.

"I was confused at their behaviour at first. I had thought that Hyuugas were nice people but reality was too much for me. Hiashi wouldn't tell me anything even though he was aware of what was happening in our house. Hizashi, your father's twin brother, broke the truth to me one day. He told me about the rule, about the fact that why I was uninvited and had told me that I would never be accepted as a Hyuuga. Hizashi always hated your father. They, being twins, should both be heirs to the Hyuuga companies but as your father was born first… he was made the heir. The eldest is always the heir… no matter what happens,"

_The eldest is always… heir? _

I felt my heart beat against the rib cage.

"From that day, I received a lot of threats from a lot of people. Hiashi's father once called me in his room. At that time, he was very sick. There… he said that his last dying wish was that I should leave the Hyuugas once and for all. I didn't know what to do… how to respond and yet still, I begged him for his blessings and worked hard in doing so. I used to be a woman who would not be wavered by people with higher status than me and yet there I was, a woman with a high status than anybody else and I was trying to change myself into someone I was not. I become a woman who cooked, gardened and did traditional stuff. I wore elegant kimonos," she made a face, "and tried to get accepted by everyone,"

She paused and sighed.

"Hiashi saw my efforts and one night, he apologized to me about the hardships that he had forced me through. He said that maybe having a child would shut them all up,"

She reached for my hand with a small smile on her lips.

"When you were born, I was so happy. You looked _exactly _like me," she chuckled a little, "yet you had the eyes of your father. This made your father so proud… so happy. We thought that we wanted nothing else,"

My mother's smile slowly dropped.

"The whole clan, though, was not happy. Actually… they were all bittered. I don't where to start. They thought that I had infected the bloodline with a child of my blood. They thought that you had no right to become heir. Than they started talking nonsense… saying that a Hyuuga and a Hyuuga marriage always produced male heirs… that it was proven. They started questioning nature. It made me so angry. Hyuugas were so… blind,"

"_Sasuke said the same thing,"_

"There were many people who wouldn't accept you as the future heir because you had my blood in your veins. Hiashi become more and more angry. Though, he being the heir, accepted you and announced you as the heir nevertheless. If it wasn't for your father support, I don't know what would have happened to me,"

I stared at my mom unbelievingly.

"But mom… Father did not really approve of m-"

"Let me finish Hinata," my mother cut me. I looked at her and saw her eyes glisten with unshed tears. I grabbed her hand and squeeze it.

"You don't have to… it's fine…"

"No. I want to tell you the truth. In the end the reason for my departure was Hiashi himself,"

My eyes opened wide and my mom closed her sadly. I had never seen her in so much pain.

"The Hyuugas thought that instead of tampering with me now… they should now tamper with Hiashi, the heir himself. Hiashi never cared about anyone else or anybody's opinion. He was always a stoic man at work and came home straight to me. I was happy to see him at ease when he was around me. Hiashi knew almost all the future threats… he was too good of a leader… But… something happened,"

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably.

"Your grandfather passed away with words of dismissing me and you from the household. Hiashi was in a wretch. He respected and loved his father despite the differences they had and not able to fulfil his final wish, made him even more wretched up. Things didn't go any better when the will was put forward… your grandfather wanted a grandson to be the heir,"

My mother looked away from me and put a hand of her face. Her voice was wavering.

"Your father's ex-fiancé came into the picture than. She manipulated Hiashi's head when he was in a wretch. She told him that he should have a male heir with her without my knowledge. That way… his father would rest at peace. Hiashi was so broken at that time that he was mindless. He couldn't think straight. We stopped talking right after the will was announced but I still thought that there was enough love between us that Hiashi wouldn't do such a thing,"

My mother took in a deep shaky breath and tears began to drip down her face.

"Hikari, Hiashi's ex-fiancé, was clever and her ability was in manipulation. By manipulating Hiashi into having a child with her, will not only, as she thought, would produce a male heir and fulfil his father's will but it would also destroy our marriage and brew my hatred towards him. I hated Hiashi for falling in her trap so easily. I absolutely hated him… and I hated him even more when he was not guilty for it,"

My mom wiped the tears from her eyes and gulped loudly.

"I found out the truth when Hikari was seven month pregnant. I was shattered. When I approached Hiashi, he was laid back. He didn't even _care _that I had found out. He didn't even _try _to explain himself. He had just sat there and looked at me with a blank expressionless face as I yelled and cried in front of him. Though… when I had demanded the reason for his actions… he simply said "I wanted a male heir,". Hinata…" my mom sobbed suddenly, "I was at total lost. Having a son or a daughter depended on God. That was how I was taught since I was little yet the Hyuugas, even Hiashi, acted like they were in control. At that time… Hiashi made me feel like I was useless. At that time, I realized, that even though Hiashi claimed to love me, it didn't change the fact that he was a Hyuuga,"

There was a minute silence as my mom gathered up herself and drank some more water.

"It was a relief that I had you at that time or I would have literally fallen to pieces. It was a relief that you and Neji were ther-"

"Wait… Neji?" I asked confused.

My mom blinked at me.

"Oh of course you wouldn't remember… you were so little. Neji and you were supposedly best buddies. You two used to play together… that is why Hiashi adopted Neji when Hizashi passed away,"

I felt my heart race up.

"H-How did Hizashi pass away?" I whispered, my head filling of memories of Neji accusing me of his murder.

My mom, surprisingly, smiled.

"Hizashi grew a liking towards you when he observed yours and Neji's relationship. He liked you so much that he asked Hiashi to engage you two. S-"

"WAIT!" I gasped out, "_Engaged?"_

My mom blinked at my confusedly.

"You didn't know? You and Neji are engaged,"

There was a minute silence as I felt my cheeks heat up.

"B-but Neji is my brother!"

"Cousins,"

"Y-yes! B-B-But h-he… I-I m-mean…"

My mom chuckled and I covered my tomato red face. I slowly gulped.

"B-but… Neji accuses me of his father's death,"

All the amusement drained from the environment. A soft sad expression came over my mother's face.

"Ah… poor child thinking like that," my mother sighed, "Hiashi is an ass after all," My mom looked at me warmly, "Your uncle passed away when some naiveté poisoned him, mistaking him for Hiashi. The murderer was soon caught and was executed. The servant's name was also Hinata,"

"Oh… wow,"

"Exactly. Lack of information brings forth a lot of misunderstanding,"

"So you are telling me that… all this time Neji hated me for no particular reason at all?"

My mom shrugged casually.

"Maybe he hates Hiashi for having the same face like Hizashi. Hyuugas brew hatred in weird ways,"

I nodded thoughtfully and sighed.

"So what happened next? Was a male heir was born?"

My mom blinked as she remembered where she was. She smiled a little and sighed.

"God works in amazing ways, Hinata. I had yelled at Hiashi at his stupidity on the fact of his confidence over such a stupid thing as changing spouses will produce male heirs. It was near disgusting actually. When the time came and Hikari went into labour … no son was born. It was a girl. It was, as you know her, Hanabi,"

My eyes widened in shock.

"Y-You mean… Hanabi is n-not my _sister?_" I was in shock.

"Half-sister," my mom informed me but she knew what I meant.

I slouched in my seat taking in such devastating information. All this time, I had cared and loved someone who was from another woman? A woman who had hurt my mother so much? I squeezed my eyes tight.

"That's why you were the odd one out where features are concerned," My mother pointed out.

Yes… nobody in the Hyuugas had midnight blue hair… or the ability to blush a thousand shades of red.

"D-does Hanabi knows of this?"

My mom shrugged.

"I don't really know about that but I am actually thankful to Hanabi," my mom smiled softly, "The birth of Hanabi had made the whole Clan shut up. The birth of Hanabi made Hikari the criminal and most of important of all, it made Hiashi open his eyes. Hiashi came to me that night and asked for my forgiveness. I didn't of course. At that time… I was still bitter and angry. It had felt that even my allies had turned against me. I couldn't come to trust Hiashi ever again. So… I left,"

"Y-you left?"

"Yes. One day, I packed my bags and left. I wanted to take you with me too but I had no assuredly to provide you with a place to live or to send you to school. You were being groomed quite well in the Compound. Despite the fact everybody hated me, you were quite adored. I did not want to drag you out on the streets when your mother did not have anything to eat herself. I left a letter to Hiashi saying my good bye and asking him to take care of you," she paused a little, "I think I was a little harsh there but nevertheless… I made my point clear,"

I stared at my mom with my raised eye brows.

"O-Oh,"

My mom leaned in closer to me and looked deeply into my eyes.

"Did Hiashi treat you well?"

At that question, under the heated gaze of my mom, I felt my heart explode into my chest. I wanted to tell the truth but after hearing everything my mother had told me, I wanted nothing but _hide _the truth. I did not know why but I thought that if two hurt women sat down talking against the same man, no solution would come up and there would be nothing but tears and curses. My father had never treated me right… he was too harsh to me and too soft with Hanabi. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Father loved mother… not this Hikari persona. Than… why?

I felt tears come into my eyes.

"Y-yes," I whispered, whipping away tears from my eyes quickly.

My mom leaned back.

"I see,"

There was a minute silence.

"Hiashi is an ass,"

I laughed and than burst into tears. Laughing and crying at the same time, I couldn't help but agree with my mom this time. My father really was an… ass.

"And yet," my mom whispered staring at me through a pained expression, "I am even worst than Hiashi,"

"N-No yo-"

"I should have come back for you. I caused you a lot of pain didn't I?"

I gulped loudly and tried to stop my tears.

"You are too freaking kind,"

"M-Mo-,"

"Please forgive me for not being a mother,"

Her head was bowed down in an apologetic manner. I felt my heart clench and I got up from my seat quickly. I reached for her and hugged her tightly.

"N-no… I love you, mom. Really. I-I missed you," I cried out silently, pressing my face against the towel surface of my mother's bath robe, taking in the scent of pure lavender and roses.

My mom hugged me back, breaking into tears too as she buried her face into my hair.

"I missed you too, Hinata,"

Things were finally, in a weird distorted sort of way, looking up for me.

* * *

**Sorry guys for the late update. T.T Really sorry. **

**This chapter is SO long! My fingers started hurting and I wrote this chapter in two days. :p. and well... LOL... edited it after a month. *avoids tomatoes* XD**

**Please ignore if there are any mistakes. And also don't twitch with the amount of OCCness in it. Sorry. **

**Lastly, REVIEW! :p  
**


	5. Strawberry Sweet

**Underestimated Complications**

**By Ayesha Raees**

**-------**

According to the truth that my mother revealed to me, Hanabi wasn't really my sister. Well… she was my _half-_sister but suddenly, after the truth, I felt a pang of venom at the pit of my stomach at her as I remembered the countless of times I had stood up for her, helped her and loved her; thinking that she shouldn't deserve to have the same faith as me. I had thought that by defending her and loving her, I would be filling the gap of a mother.

Yet… her mother was always around whereas mine was gone.

The bitter feeling came into my stomach and bubbled to the very soul of my self being. Everybody knew the truth except for me and even then… they had treated me that way. Hyuugas were really… horrible people.

That night, as I looked at my bedside table and at the frame of my sister, smiling toothlessly at me, I felt a sudden tint of disgust at myself.

As I threw the picture at the bottom of my bed; I realized that the 'love' I felt for her was nothing but an unspoken responsibility and guilt. Though after the truth, I felt no shame as I went to sleep without asking God to look out for her in my place.

**Chapter 5**

**Strawberry Sweet**

"You didn't show up at school for two days… everything ok?" Sakura's high pitched voice greeted me in class as I walked in. I gave her a small look, remembering the 'funeral' remark and was relieved to see her not remembering or caring about it. I gave her a small polite smile, trying my best to follow Sasuke's 'advice' of making 'friends'.

Not wanting to scoff over my own thoughts, I replied as truthfully as I could.

"Sorry really… I caught a cold," I replied to her as I sat down on the front row, wishing she wouldn't sit next to me. After all, if she sat in the front row, the teacher's attention would be at her and she wouldn't be able to mess around like she did in every class.

Though to my utter disappointment, she grabbed her bag that was lying around at the last row and made her way to me, taking the seat next to mine. She grinned and than started to take out her books.

"So… err… about the shop thing. I apologize for being so nosy," she said.

Oh… so she remembered.

Not knowing what to say and feeling a hint of shame inside of me, I offered her a small smile again.

"I apologize too for my behaviour at that moment," I said after a pause.

She nodded and than began to chat about something and I quickly zoned her out, not caring to listen about hair products or such.

As the students began to file in, I saw Sasuke and Naruto walk in and I sighed in relief as Sakura enthusiastically waved at them. Naruto waved back as though he hadn't seen her in years where as Sasuke made an annoyed face before taking the seat at the other side of me.

I saw Sakura avert her eyes to him before turning them on me as though accusingly. I tired to ignore the fire in her eyes at the fact that Sasuke had taken the seat next to mine rather than the one empty next to hers. Not knowing what to do, I started to doodle on the top of my notebook; wishing school would be over already.

"Hey Hinata-chan! How's you been!?" Naruto's cheery voice broke the building tension and I looked at him with relief. He took a seat next to Sakura and she, visibly, made a face of annoyance.

"Er… I am good," I said with a smile.

"Good to hear that! Why haven't you been coming to school? We missed you!" he exclaimed.

Or did they? Weren't they just curious about me? Again, I tried not to scoff.

"Sorry for making you worry. I caught a cold,"

The chatter died as the teacher entered and the series of lessons, one after another, began.

* * *

Lunch went better than the first time. It seemed that now everybody got the idea that I, Hinata, the plain old mysterious girl, was just sitting at the 'popular' table just for the sake of an experimental test. Sakura continued to babble through out most of the lessons, asking this and that in between and I, after a while, not caring what I said as an answer. I didn't know what they were going to do with the information in the end. Published it in the school's newspaper? I imagined the _article _on me and gagged a little, earning a curious gaze from Shikamaru who eyed my food and than his, before pushing it away in disgust.

Blushing at what he did, I continued to nibble on the chicken nuggets I had prepared in the morning. The cafeteria buzzed around me and I felt, weirdly, at ease.

"Hinata-chan… can I have some of that?" Naruto asked, shamelessly pointing at my lunch and I cringed a little as I saw drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. I looked away, swallowing the bile before pushing the food in front of him.

Like lightening, the nuggets disappeared and I had to blink several times to comprehend what had happened. I was amazed at him and his speed of… eating.

Or galloping that is.

"DELICIOUS!" Naruto exclaimed, rubbing his stomach. "Amazing Hinata-chan! Did you cook these?"

I didn't know Naruto was also participating in the whole _questionnaire_ about me. Feeling a little disappointed but pushing it away, I nodded with a smile.

"Ah… You can cook!?" Ino asked.

I nodded again.

"Ah! I wanted to taste it!" She whined before throwing a glare at Naruto, "You are such a pig Naruto! You ate all of it! And it was Hinata-chan's! You-"

And than I zoned them out altogether.

* * *

More classes and finally the day was over. Finally. I closed my locker, my arms laden with the needed homework assignments I was supposed to do and came face to face with no other than Uchiha Sasuke.

I didn't know it was on purpose or not, but he was standing way to close to me; leaning his muscular body against the lockers, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and wearing an expression of interest and curiosity.

"So how was today?" he asked and I quickly stepped back, creating space between us. The last thing I wanted was rumours about 'us' being an 'item'.

"Torture," I muttered, sighing out loud.

"I can see," he eyed at the pile of books in my arms and silence followed as like a pile of bricks.

"You acted very fake today,"

"Thank you but they bought it,"

"Yes… but most of us didn't,"

"Well that show wasn't for you so you can rest assure," I looked at him and began walking down the corridor.

"Of course… I prefer the original and the best anyway," He said with a smirk and my face heated up a little. Did he just flirted with me? No. Way. NOWAY! NOWAY!!!!

Wait.

It's not like I care, right? I mean… I do not and will not like an Uchiha. They were bigger bastards than the Hyuugas. Let him flirt away and I will not give a damn. Actually… it would be rather fun rejecting him later.

Feeling a smirk on my lips, I looked at him and said:

"Get over yourself,"

His smirk disappeared and he cocked up his eyebrows, looking at me accusingly. He looked away, not saying anything.

"So," I sighed, "What exactly did you want? I doubt it was to ask how I was doing,"

We slowed our pace to a stop next to the main door. I looked at him again.

"Do you want to see the martial arts practice?" he asked.

Confused at what he had asked, I looked at him questioningly.

"I thought you were in soccer?"

"I am in both,"

"How do you manage?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to come or not?"

I blinked at him.

"Why?"

He sighed.

"There are only two members in the club itself so the room is usually occupied by all of us,"

I gave him a tired smile.

"You think I want to spend another minute with Sakura and Ino?"

He chuckled to my surprise.

"The prom's coming up so they won't stay for long," he offered.

"The Proms in May. It's the start of December. It's no way near,"

"For them… it is near," he muttered.

I shifted the weight of the books and thought it over.

"Well… ok. But I won't stay long. I have a ton of stuff to do," I said, gesturing at the pile of books in my arms and he nodded, walking away for me to follow. A part of me was pissed off at the fact that he _still _hadn't offered to carry my books or share the weight. My arms were literally aching and I could feel a sheen of sweat on my arms. A part of my wanted to yell at him to carry my books but the realization hit me hard and I blushed madly. It wasn't like he was my boyfriend or anything that I would expect such a thing. He didn't even care to begin with.

Than why would he come and ask me personally? Something was fishy and wrong.

"So… er… why are there only two members in the club?"

"Because Gaara had too much work on his hands,"

"What?" I asked confused.

"Even though Gaara comes with us for most of the tournaments, he refuses to join the club because of his packed schedule,"

"Oh… but… what about the other thousand students? Don't they want to join?"

He gave me an annoyed look.

"Even though many of the people want to join, we have no coach or trainer as this club is so… small. Naruto and I are the only members and we don't have time to train newbies to fight and win. Until now, nobody has truly been good to join us,"

"Oh… wow," I muttered, thinking over at what he had said.

"You seem surprised,"

I looked at him in an obvious way.

"Of course I would be. It seems that you guys are only doing this to win and not for fun,"

"and since who said fighting was fun? Do you know… every year, we bring home the trophy? If it wasn't for that, this club would have been soon closed,"

"And that matters because? If it IS closed, than that's one work load and tension less,"

"No," he replied curtly, "That means running away because we cannot handle it. We opted for this and we are not going to shut it down just because we got tired or had too much to do,"

I was shocked to hear that. Never in my life did I hear such an answer from anyone. Never in my life had I seen such reasoning of continuing such a thing. I scowled at his answer.

"If you don't have fun than-"

"We are here," he said loudly, ending the conversation one and for all. I scowled at him and he scowled back, anger radiating from both of us as he looked away sharply and pushed open the door loudly, making his entrance obvious.

The room was fairly large… or _looked _fairly large as all the furniture was removed except for a few long benches, which seemed to be smuggled from the cafeteria, around the central empty space. The carpet had been removed from the central space and the wooden floor looked extremely clean that it shone. Various weapons, that seemed wooden and fake at the first sight, were hung at the corner of the room as though they were for decorations. I noticed a small rack with a closet on top full of personal belongings such as shoes and coats and what not. I watched Sasuke take off his shoes and push them into the rack before, barefooted, walking towards the benches where all of the people were seated, lost in their own conversations. I could still feel the anger radiated from the onyx eyed boy and I felt a pang of anger in myself too.

As I slammed down the load of my books and sighed in relief as I stretched my arms, pulling away the cramps, I thought back to what Sasuke had said. It was weird… really… at one time, he would be a total gentleman and would make me blush and jump to stupid conclusions and the next thing he would say or do something that would want me to kick him hard. What was with him?

Or… with her?

I thought about it for a moment before shaking by head to myself; another insecurity came lingering into my heart. Maybe it really was my fault… maybe I said something that-

"Oye Hinata! What are you doing standing there acting like a bimbo? Stop daydreaming,"

B-bimbo?!

I snapped my head towards the said person and saw no other but the guy of my angry thoughts. Blushing furiously at what he said, I snapped at him.

"I am not daydreaming!"

"You have been standing there for fifteen minutes like a lost puppy," he said with a smirk and shook his head in an undermining manner.

"I am not a bimbo!" I snapped at him again.

"Wohoo," he muttered before turning away towards the others and saying something to Naruto which I ignored at once. I could feel the others curious gaze at me and suddenly I didn't give a damn.

I was in a state of anger and I really wanted to just kill the Uchiha boy with my bare hands… like choke him… strangle him… make him scream for his mommy and-

"Please daydream on the benches, we are going to start soon," he interrupted my thoughts again and I blushed even harder. Giving him my best glare which I believed would have made Neji proud, I stomped towards the benches and sat down with a huff besides Ino who looked at me with a curious gaze.

Before she could even say anything, I burst forth, whispering harshly so that only the group on the bench could hear me.

"What the hell is that guy's problem!? I didn't even say anything to him! Are you sure he is a guy? Because he has got mood swings like a girl! A girl I tell you! A GIRL! I won't be even surprised if you tell me that he cross dresses as a guy! Actually I think he really is a girl! Look at those feminine features! I am telling you… that guy is not normal!"

As I stopped for an intake of a breath, I could feel somebody laughing behind me and from the corner of the eye, I saw Shikamaru covering his mouth with his hand as he guffawed. Ino's expression was no different but after a few moments, she openly started laughing and than the whole group, except Gaara, who was there in the corner, burst into laughter. My blushed increased as the two opponents in front of us stopped talking and looked at us in a questioning manner.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at me and I glared at him again. Naruto, being the curious soul, began to ask frantic questions.

"What?! What are you guys laughing about!? COME ON! TELL ME!"

I refused to say anything else as I watched Sasuke punch Naruto, quite painfully I must say, on the head and he yelped. After a quick argument, they began to start sparring.

I realized Ino and Sakura come close to me. I heard Sakura whisper in my ear

"You think Sasuke-kun is a girl? Just wait and look… you will find your proof any second now," she giggled and Ino followed.

Blinking confusingly, I looked straight at the two 'boys' and saw them taking off their shirts.

Even though I believed that Naruto was more handsome and 'sunny' than the Uchiha bastard, I was shocked at myself as my eyes swept over Naruto's body for only a millisecond and than shifted towards the Uchiha's. I refused to blush and forced myself to wear an indifferent expression but inside I was burning up. It looked like his body was made up of pure ivory. It looked so smooth, with muscles carved as though they had been a part of him for always. As he walked, it felt like his muscles rippled beneath him.

No wonder all the girls fawned over him as though he was a god.

Though, Neji's body could rival him. Completely.

That's what I said:

"No chest hair? Does he wax? How gay. I have seen better," I whispered, not wanting such girly comments to overpass the girls to the guys who were now too involved in the coming up fight.

Sakura choked at my comment and started to giggle but it was forced. I ignored her because I knew I had hurt her feelings by saying that. Though Ino laughed loudly and naturally and I felt glad that somebody supported that statement with a natural laugh.

"Oh my GOD! Really? Who could be better than Sasuke?" she muttered after a few minutes of laughter.

I gave her a strange look. Weren't she and Shikamaru dating? That question bought a bit of suspicions in my stomach.

"That," I answered with my eyes closed, "is confidential information that's not to be revealed,"

Ino rolled her eyes before smirking.

"What? Your boyfriend?"

My face turned red.

"O-Of course not!" _Actually he is my fiancé but I never knew that!_

"Ooo… a crush?" Sakura whispered, slyly.

"No!" I snapped, looking away from either of them before staring at the 'fight' in front of me.

I literally twitched.

Naruto was… well… he was on the ground, holding his stomach and Sasuke looked red with anger. He marched up to him and, by his arm, dragged him up to his feet.

"Will you be serious for a second?" I heard him hiss.

Naruto, panting, gave a smirk. He bought back his arm and threw a hasty punch at him which he easily blocked and attacked him with another punch on his stomach, making Naruto fall on his buttocks again.

I frowned at the change of events in front of me. Sasuke was good but he wasn't excellent at his sport. Obviously, if he was against someone like Naruto, he wouldn't improve because Naruto sucked too much and Sasuke winning every spar, thought that he really _was _good.

Sasuke's steps and posture looked like he had some training early in his days whereas Naruto looked self-taught, his steps not so professional and his punches all over the place.

Sometimes strength didn't matter… what matter was the fact that how one _used _that strength.

I frowned visibly at the now arguing duo before turning around to Gaara, who wasn't standing so far away as I had thought. He shifted his gaze from the fight to me.

"Have you guys ever been against Leaf High?"

It was a genuine question. Neji was the captain of the martial arts team there and I knew that he could defeat all of them at a single go. His team was very strong and like Sasuke, he didn't want any weaknesses so she was never a part of that team from the start. He had said that he was authority there and such weaknesses would only hinder their activities. It had made her cry back than but she had accepted without a word.

I pushed away the daunting memory. I could feel the attention shift from the fight to me and Gaara.

"No… we haven't. We haven't really gone to the National level. We only participate in the district championships,"

"Sasuke said you guys bring the trophy every year?"

"Yes,"

Trying not to make fun of them all, I nodded and turned away to look at the still arguing duo.

It seemed clear that they were best in the district… but it was also clear that the teams in the district themselves weren't very good.

Not to Neji's level.

Never to Neji's level.

"Something wrong, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked sweetly and I visibly twitched.

"Oh no Sakura-chan. Nothing is wrong," I said to her with an obvious fake smile.

"OK! Practice over," Sasuke announced as though it had been going for hours and hours.

As if on cue, Sakura got up from the bench and ran towards him to fawn over him, squeaking about how great he was. This lovey dovey affair was broken by Naruto's whining about how much he had been good and…

And… the usual.

Ino sighed out next to me before getting up with the rest. She smiled genuinely at me.

"You know Hinata-chan… you are really fun to be with,"

I blushed and looked at her as though it was the best compliment I have gotten.

"R-really?"

"Of course!" she grinned before skipping up to Shikamaru and pestering about him joining the martial arts team.

I sat there watching them, one after another, exit the room. Even Sasuke didn't stop to wave at me and that made me feel even more frustrated at him than before. Maybe I was over thinking everything? Of course he won't stop to-

"Was there a specific reason to ask such a question?"

I jumped from the bench as though I was struck by lightening. Looking back, I saw Gaara staring at me with his electrifying blue eyes.

He didn't go? Or was she too lost in her thoughts to notice?

Damn her.

Thinking that it would be okay to act according to the flow, I gave a small shrug.

"Do you want me to be honest or lie?" I asked with a small smile on my lips, knowing that Gaara was one of those people who wouldn't give a damn about anything. It was a surprise in the first place to see him taking interest in what I had to ask. He wasn't the type to spread rumours anyhow.

Not like I was going to tell him anything too personal about myself.

"Is the truth too hard to handle?" He questioned with a tinge of amusement as he made his way towards me, standing above my head with his arms crossed.

"For prideful men… yes," I answered him with a smirk and locked my gaze onto his, still debating to myself to tell him about Neji or not.

We stared at each other silently for what seem like hours before he sneered the words I so wanted to hear.

"Try me,"

I giggled a little, breaking the trance and shaking my head to myself.

"You guys suck at fighting,"

I observed his expression openly as a look of amusement came over on his previous hardcore expression.

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"What you don't believe me?"

The smirk on his face was the factor that he didn't. I grew slightly frustrated and burst forth.

"I have been in this sport since birth and I might not be very good at it myself, I know when I see some skills. The sparring just now was nothing but that. It was stupid, the steps were out of place and it seemed like they were self-taught,"

His expression was stoic now.

"Because they are self-taught," he said simply and I felt a tinge of irritation.

"I don't know if you regard that as good or as bad… but one needs a teacher even if one is a prodigy!"

He was scowling now and glaring at me harshly. I felt a sudden fear arise my heart as my anger slowly filtered away.

"Fight me," he spat as he stepped back onto the wooden floor that had been occupied what seemed like minutes before.

"What?"

I was startled… no… I was scared. I was so scared that I felt the colour drain from my face. I was so scared that I felt sweat in the palm of my hands and I clutched them closed so that the sudden shivering would stop. Fear was avid in my eyes.

The matters worsened as the redhead pulled off his shirt, revealing a body that could rival Sasuke's. As he threw his shirt aside, I suddenly noticed how strong his hands were and how hard his body and muscles looked.

I was going to be pumbled.

"What? Not going to prove your words?" he sneered at me.

I flushed.

"I-I said I wasn't that good," I stuttered, my eyes wide.

The smirk on his face looked nothing but evil. The tinge in his eyes was of nothing but blood thirst.

"It's not enjoyable for me either to hit a girl,"

Shit… I am so dead.

I stumbled up on my feet and praying to myself and my survival, I slowly walked over to stand a few feet away from him.

One look at the seriousness he held on his face and I wished for those times when I should have trained but had picked flowers and cooked in the kitchen. In some way, my father had been right. I _had _been wasting time… now flowers couldn't save me from this situation right?

If _only _I was stronger and heavily built, I could have been better at this family sport that everybody just seemed to enjoy. All I knew was the basics and the knowledge to defend myself if somebody cornered me.

My eyes grew slightly larger as realization hit me.

'_That's it!' _I thought to myself as I began to adjust myself into my practiced steps. If I considered Gaara as a criminal or a thief and replaced the cool room with a dark alley, than it was possible for me to fight and give it my all. Fighting robbers and rapists had become a second nature for me despite my meek personality, which I now realized, had attracted them to me in the first place. Being a Hyuuga and the so called future heiress, everybody wanted something from me. It was like an everyday routine when I would be bullied into an alley and surrounded by strong muscular men that had no clue about hygiene.

I only needed to imagine the situation as that… and Gaara's piercing angry eyes helped me immensely.

I was about to pull into my traditional Jyuuken style of the Hyuuga when I reminded myself that I wasn't one anymore. Feeling slightly weird, as I bought my arms into the normal style that everybody trained in, I embraced myself for his upcoming.

And he did… not having any respect that I was a girl and he should hold back even if a little. The first punch that he aimed and I dodged was so powerful that I could feel it vibrating through my ears for minutes. Tilting back expertly and with experienced steps and poise, I put one gentle hand on his muscular arm, which was still outstretched when he had landed a punch before, and pressed his nerve connecting vital point.

His eyes, which had been scanning around the area for me because, to him, I had completely disappeared, froze as pain shot through his arm. Before he could even consider anything, I, with all my strength, hit him hard behind neck and he fell down face first on the ground with a loud grunt.

The grunt suddenly allowed the walls of imaginations and criminals to shatter around me and I froze mid-way as I realized what I had just accomplished.

Not knowing how to react, I decided to just see if he wasn't dead. After all I had hit him at his neck… the last thing I wanted was a murder.

Crouching next to him and examining his painful expression, I thought I had shattered his ego with him. Trying not to smile and make mental notes of 'what to do with Neji when I meet him', I poked his cheek with my finger.

His eyes snapped open and his piercing eyes glared at me as though I had done it on purpose. But I didn't bother to say anything because I knew it would just worsen his ego. I just grinned.

He kept glaring at me before groaning.

"Wh-what did you do to my arm?"

Not wanting to reveal any Hyuuga secrets, I acted confused.

"I just touched it," I answered as though it was really a simple touch. Hyuuga fighting rounded with speed and flexibility and at both points, she excelled. What she lacked was strength and power which Neji, being a boy, had immense of. She had been weak since the beginning and only used the simple nerve techniques which would allow pain to shoot through one's body immensely and it would just disappear after a few minutes of breathing exercises. It was the basic of the Hyuuga techniques and she wasn't the master of the rest.

A Hyuuga can easily win against such a technique. So if she was against Neji, she would have been dead meat.

"I felt-" he began but stopped immediately as his eyes opened slightly. He slowly sat up and rotated the joint of his arm.

"It stopped,"

I decided to play along.

"What stopped?"

He gave me a sour look and I tried not laugh.

"None of your business,"

I cutely blinked at him before getting up from the floor.

"The only thing I have in a fighting style is speed and that's not usually helpful in all battles. I only fight to defend myself. I am not really strong," I said, trying to make his loss a bit better but it only resulted in his scowling deeply and that pissed me off tremendously.

"Stop making faces and take a loss like a man!" I snapped at him and his head shot straight, a glare emitting from his eyes and I felt my heart literally stop. Yet, I still tried to glare at him back before turning around sharply.

I froze when I saw a familiar Uchiha boy sitting on the benches, staring at me with a blank expression.

For how long had he been sitting there? When had he come back? Why had he come back? Was it that he wanted to talk to her? Or apologize to her about his snappish behaviour? And he wanted to make it up to her by asking her out on a dinner date where he would be a total gentleman and treat her as though-

Wait. How did the serious questions turn into a fairytale?

Nevertheless, with a heavy heart and a slight blush, I walked off from the wooden floor and after taking the books and wearing my shoes, walked off to home… a place where I suddenly wanted to be.

* * *

**Sighs. Long long chapter. ;/. very random too. So OCCed. So stupid. THe only reason i am continuing is because of the flames i have been recieving in my inbox. :p. So lol. x'D. Enjoy it! :p**


	6. Bitter Lemon

**Underestimated Complications**

**By Ayesha Raees**

Jyuuken: The Hyuuga fighting style. A person who is not a Hyuuga cannot practice this fighting style. Hell… he is not able to.

The Hyuuga eyes are said to aid the fighting style. That is the first and last aspect needed to learn such a style. The fighting techniques are kept top secret and it is forbidden to talk about such in 'common' people. If done so, the both side of the party is executed. It is a rumour that in the past a whole village was killed because some disgraceful 'being' leaked out some of the secrets of how the style worked.

It was a secret. And an ultimate weapon. Although now, in the 21st Centaury, it was only practiced as a sport… in the past it was a legal weapon that everyone feared. Kings and emperors from across the world begged the Hyuugas to aid them in wars and paid them in gold and jewels. It is said that one properly trained Hyuuga can stand up against (and thus win) 100 well equipped soldiers. They are quoted to be lightening fast that they disappear in thin air when they move to attack and their touch is gentle but result in immense pain which turns into death.

Yes… an ultimate weapon.

Though to the Hyuugas dismay, the sport of martial arts doesn't allow the opponent to kill the other. Accidents aside (and that's what they claim to be if the 'true power' comes forth) the Hyuugas in such a sport doesn't allow the other opponent to fight again… out of fear or disability. No one knows.

Speed, flexibility, stamina and strength coupled with the Hyuuga blood and the 'Byakugan' eyes: The ultimate Jyuuken style.

A style that Hyuuga Hinata despised for it was taught on animals, practiced to kill and the victor (or killer) famed.

**Chapter Six**

**Bitter Lemon**

The homework killed me. It was so much and I couldn't even complete it. I spent the whole night, searching and scribbling papers ranging from argumentatives to biological plant growth to what not.

When I removed my eyes from the stack of parchments in front of me to look at the time, it was five in the morning. I was not happy. Plus, I had no energy to go for a jog.

After a shower and preparing breakfast, I was unhealthily alert. I hated the feeling of lack of sleep and I had a bad feeling that today was not going to be my day.

And I was proven right when on my way to school, I met the last person I actually wanted to meet. Uchiha Sasuke.

I stopped when he waved to me. Apparently he did not take his car and was loitering around in _my _neighborhood to run into me. Glad to see someone's luck was at their side.

With weary eyes I watched him approach me before we started to walk together to school.

"Don't you have a car?" I broke the silence and his gaze to the sky.

"I do. I just felt like walking today,"

"Ahan," _as if_, "Do you live near here?"

"E-er… yeah not so far off,"

That was definitely a lie. I stopped walking and he came to a halt too.

"What do you want?"

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow but remained silent for a while. We stared at each other for a minute.

"It's 7," he told me.

"O…okay?" I had a funny feeling inside of me.

"Homeroom is at 8.30,"

"Yeah so?"

"Do you want to…er…" He turned his face awkwardly away to look at the sky again. I felt a pang of pity for myself. Here I was attracted to an uncomfortable guy who couldn't even tell a girl to ditch homeroom and go with him somewhere. AND then get the courage to tell her what was bothering him.

Suddenly I was pissed off.

"There is no need to ditch. I already know what you want to say,"

His head snapped towards me. Here we were, having a weird confrontation in the middle of the street at seven in the FREAKING morning.

"Really? You know what I am going to say?"

"Yeah. It's about yesterday isn't it?"

"Yeah," he smirked at me as though all his tension was released. He approached me, grabbed my wrist (to my utter freaking shock) and started to pull me somewhere. There was a buzz of excitement in his body and I could feel my heart being noisy in my ears.

"I want to show you a place,"

My ears and face went hot. Here I was, _no-surname_ Hinata, being dragged by Uchiha freaking Sasuke to some place private and he was buzzing with excitement. Maybe it would end in me having my first with a good looking guy. Not like I am attracted to him or anyway. He is just… good looking and he looks like he has a lot of experience in treating girls. Having him as a boyfriend wouldn't be bad at all! Maybe when I would be older and he would be older and we would both be _engaged _and I would be at a _party _where _Hanabi _and _Neji _would be present and and… they will look at us in pure _envy. _Haha… Poor poor Hiashi ever disowning me. I would've been a reason for the collaboration between Uchiha and Hyuuga through marriage! And then they would _freaking regret-_

"We are here!" he announced and let go of my hand, which was very sweaty and hot in my case, before turning to me.

I looked from the ground to see the sight in front of me and not only did my blush disappear but there was also a loud crash.

A loud crash when my daydream, future plans and revenge shattered into a million pieces.

For in front of me was no restaurant, no love-hotel… no beautiful scenery… _nothing… _but a freaking rundown dojo.

Let me clear the confusion for you; a martial arts dojo.

I looked at Sasuke with a sour look.

"After a lot of thought, I decided that to take you in as a new member for the martial arts club. With you, we can aim for the nationals this time. And thanks to you, even Gaara changed his mind and is on the team. So we are now four in number and able to take on the nationals!" he said with such enthusiasm that I felt like I was being hit by his happy energy again and again. Why was, Uchiha Sasuke from all the people, this excited and happy? WHY!

My sour look did not change.

"Duck hair useless guy with no personality. Hateful," I said in a monotonous emotionless voice, before turning away and walking towards nowhere. I could see a bus stop somewhere. I knew if I started walking I would end up somewhere _FAR _from him and his freaking happy aura.

"Hyuuga!" He snapped angrily.

_Oh yes. He was back to normal._

I stopped and turned around to look at him and was, for once in my life, happy to see his emotionless façade. His happy enthusiasm was giving me the creeps.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?"

"What is your problem?"

"Do you REALLY want to know my problem?"

_Noo… Stop aggressive Hinata. You are gonna be total bitch now._

Before he could open his mouth again, I began my rambling;

"The problem is that you drag a cute little girl who has no interest in martial arts to nowhere and tell her to be a part of a weak team and go to the nationals. Are you even in your senses?"

He gave me the angriest glare I had ever seen. I felt a knot form in my throat but no… I continued on.

"You guys suck at fighting. No offence. The regional and the nationals are two different things. The regional mean that you are the best among the suckiest teams. The nationals mean you are the _worst _even in the suckiest teams. You guys don't even have a _coach. _You guys don't _know _fighting,"

Ok. Why did the lecture turned into a reality check for him? And why was he not angry anymore but actually listening?

"You are probably thinking that it's different since I am on the team. The great Hyuuga fighter with the Jyuuken style of fighting who can easily defeat even the strongest of fighters in the nationals,"

"Yes," he said, "The Hyuuga style is unique. You don't need-"

"I am the worst among the Hyuugas. I wasn't even on the team before. I don't know how to fight,"

"But you won against Gaara from all people,"

"I am going to be nothing against a Hyuuga or a person experienced in fighting Hyuugas. I only know the basics. I suck. Get it? And the worst thing is; you guys suck too. Bad. Naruto doesn't even know the difference between street fighting and martial arts. It's all over the place,"

"Naruto is a different story. He actually performs well when he is in a real battle,"

"That doesn't change the fact that you guys won't have a chance in the nationals,"

"We have a whole month till then… we have time to train,"

"No,"

I scowled at him.

"No what?"

"Just no. You don't know. You are being silly,"

"I _am _being silly?"

"Sorry. Disillusioned,"

He scoffed loudly, shaking his head.

"Fight me then. If I defeat you, you will join,"

"Oh please Sasuke. Even a six year old can defeat me. I am no good. I have no power. Just speed. Which like… depends on my stamina…which isn't a lot. Plus I have an anxiety disorder. I _faint _before _anything important," _

He looked at me in _what-the-fuck _expression.

"An anxiety disorder? Really?"

…

"You _faint?" _

"ARGH! I HATE YOU! DIE!"

I turned around, stomping away.

"School's the other way," he called out to my retreating back. I could feel a tinge of amusement in his voice. I stopped in my tracks and turned around.

"I REALLY DO HATE YOU!"

I continued stomping and fifteen minutes later was calling my mom to pick me up in the middle of nowhere.

* * *

My throat was sore because of all the screaming early in the morning and I had a terrible headache. And on top of it all, Sasuke was sitting beside me and giving me weird looks since the beginning of class.

He leaned closer and I stomped my foot on his. He retreated back to his position with a hiss but what enraged me more was a small controlled laugh that he held back.

"_Uchiha are assholes,"_

He threw me a note then. I had a great urge to just toss it aside but I succumbed to my urges and opened it anyway.

**The dojo I showed you? They have a really good teacher. We practice there from time to time.**

I twitched at the content and scribbled something back.

**The café has a dog that is going to die because of cancer and Lisa cried because of that. Isn't it silly?**

I know… don't even ask what that means. I don't even care. I threw it back right at his face. It escaped his eye. Dammit.

I watched him raise his eyebrows at what I wrote and controlled, yet again, a laugh. NO! STOP BEING HAPPY!

He threw it back to me.

**I have a feeling that you know someone who wins ****at Nationals every year and you are afraid of even being seen by that person. I am taking a wild guess and thinking that it's a guy that you are close with.**

I felt my face froze at this. _The nerve of this guy. _

I wrote back; **it's actually my fiancé… **and then drew several hearts everywhere.

I looked at him for a reaction. My ego was badly hurt when there wasn't any and he, with the same expression he was reading before, wrote back and threw it back. We stared at each other for a moment as I desperately waited to see a change in his expression… but there was _none._

"_Oh that… asshole,"_

I unfolded the paper.

**Oh. So you are afraid to faint in front of him when he comes to give you a loving hug? Aww… I pity your fear.**

"_UNFORGIVABLE!"_

I crumbled the paper in millions of papers, raised my hand to attract the teacher attraction and said in a very serious face while pointing at him:

"Can I please change my seat? I don't like him,"

Sakura got up at once from the front row before anyone could say anything and I, giving him a triumphant look as a look of despair came on his face, exchanged my seat.

* * *

"So I heard what happened with you and Sasuke today," Ino whispered to me at lunch as I rubbed my head, trying to get rid of the headache.

"Yeah. God. I hate him or what,"

"…Oh,"

I looked at her looking everywhere except at me.

"What exactly did you hear?"

She looked at me with a small forced smile.

"You don't want to know… they are just rumours," she forcefully laughed, edging slightly away from me. I eyed her sudden distance in confusion when Naruto suddenly slammed his tray in front of me, staring at me in a panic expression.

"I HEARD YOU WERE A LESBIAN! IS THAT TRUE!"

The cafeteria went dead quiet and I stared at him with my mouth open. _How that did even got originated!_

"She even has a fiancé," Sasuke told Naruto seriously. I looked at him in the state of disbelief.

"Oh…" Naruto muttered, sitting down at last as though dejected, "Well… I guess you will be going to America for marriage huh?"

I was shell shocked for a second and decided against in even denying the situation. There was minute silence.

"Now now… everyone," Sakura piped out in pure glee and happiness, "We don't care about whoever's preferences right?"

I open my bento and started eating my fried rice. Today was definitely not my day.

"So that's why you hate Sasuke huh?" Ino piped up.

"She hates Sasuke?" Sakura said with a smile.

Didn't they realize that he sitting right across to them and could hear everything.

"You hate me?" he said, suddenly playing along with them.

"Hey," Gaara muttered suddenly, breaking the _fun _atmosphere. I would have hugged him if he had done it for my sake… but apparently he didn't.

"About yesterday, I wasn't serious. I want a re-match,"

Chopsticks in my hand, I stared at him in a blank expression. I glanced at Sasuke who wasn't making any eye-contact and was suddenly staring at his lunch with a sore expression.

"Oh yeah. I heard you joined the martial arts club," Naruto piped in, failing to notice the sudden change in atmosphere.

"You know martial arts?" Sakura said in disbelief.

"Oh my God…You defeated Gaara from all people?" Ino screamed.

A tension arose inside of me as Gaara looked at me for a response. My appetite was ruined. _Men… and women… and this school. _

"So does that mean you guys will be going to Nationals this time?" Shikamaru spoke from his spot.

The conversation continued on and my heart thudded against my chest. Sasuke's expression was darkening and Gaara was glowering with impatience and anger. Naruto was talking too loudly in ear. Screaming even. A sweat broke on my forehead and I slammed my hand on the table, panting.

"Shut up," I whispered, staggering from my seat and exiting the cafeteria. My head spun and I fainted right in the middle of the corridor.

* * *

"This is your entire fault Naruto. You started the fucking topic,"

"HOW IS THAT EVEN MY FAULT!"

"SHUT UP! YOU ARE BEING LOUD!"

"YOU ARE SCREAMING!"

"SERIOUSLY… Naruto… Sakura… both of you… OUT!"

"Wh-"

"Seriously… out,"

I cracked open my eyes as soon as the door was slammed shut. The first thing I saw was a blur of white. It was the ceiling.

"Oh she is awake,"

Somebody leaned onto me. It was a black haired woman, around in her thirties. I stared at her with a blank expression.

"Oh god…" I managed to mutter as I tried to get up.

"No no… lay back. You hit your head pretty hard,"

"Oh god," I muttered again. I couldn't believe it. I fainted for the first in… months. In the middle of a corridor… just because everyone was paying me too much attention, expecting things from me that I couldn't give or wasn't ready to give… _spreading _rumours about me that weren't even true. None of them took me seriously. I felt tears come to my eyes.

"Oh god," I muttered again.

"I am going to give you a painkiller. Uchiha-san, can you be here for a while? I am out of stock. I need to get some from the office,"

"Yes sensei,"

The slam of the door indicated to me that she had left. It was at that time I realized too that there was only Sasuke in the infirmary with me. It was honestly the last person I wanted to be with right now. I looked at him and saw him staring at me. He looked away quickly somewhere else.

"So…er… you really do have anxiety attacks,"

"You thought I was lying?"

"… Yeah. Sorry,"

"You are apologizing,"

He looked at me in a confused expression.

"What? When?"

"Just now,"

"When now?"

I looked at his blank face.

"You are an idiot,"

He didn't say anything anymore and broke his eye contact with me before staring at the wall again.

"So… the thing about the fiancé is also true?"

"Hyuuga Neji,"

"What?"

"His name is Hyuuga Neji. He is one year older then me. We are cousins. He is my twin uncle's only son who was poisoned when he was very little. We grew up together,"

"Ah… fated to be together huh?"

"He doesn't like me very much,"

He looked at me.

"Why?"

"Why do you think?"

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Because… er… you faint when he forces himself on you?"

I gave him the most disbelief look I could muster.

"Seriously Sasuke? Seriously?"

He laughed a little but stopped suddenly, as though reminding himself not to anymore. He looked away again with a sudden forced smile which withdrew slowly to a blank expression.

"He is very good in the Hyuuga style. A prodigy. A normal fighter can never win against him. The only way he can be defeated is by a powerful Hyuuga,"

"We have you,"

"Yeah. I will faint myself to win,"

"You didn't faint in front of Gaara. What's the difference in this?"

I looked at him in a helpless expression and suddenly tears sprang to my eyes. He stared at me with a disbelief expression.

"Is it because you like him?"

"It's more complicated then that," I defended suddenly.

"Then what?"

"I-"

The door slammed opened and the nurse came back in, holding in her hands a box containing various stuff. I glanced at Sasuke and his sudden stone expression. His eyes were wavering in what seemed like an emotion I couldn't identify. He quietly got up and without even saying another word, walked out of the infirmary.

* * *

"_Just join the fucking team, go, lose and come back. What's the difference?" _

It's Neji. He will be there.

"_You are scared? Why are you scared?"_

Hating him was easier. I don't know. I just found out the truth and…

"_You don't know what to do?"_

I really…

The school bell rang, indicating the end of school. I got up from the bed and swung my legs to stand up. The nurse, Shizune, had told me quite sternly to rest up for the rest of the classes and go home only after the bell had rung.

My health was the last thing I cared about at the moment. Right now, I wanted to avoid everyone whose name started with an Uchiha and ended with Sasuke.

The gleam in his eyes before he had gotten up and walked away was in the middle of hatred and anger and an emotion I couldn't identify. I didn't understand why he was so upset about the whole ordeal. They never went to the Nationals anyway before. Plus he made it all look like it was my entire fault because I couldn't face Neji because I had _feelings _for him.

Which was, in a way, true but those feelings were not… love. Honestly. Those feelings were all jumbled up and screwed and horrible. They were in the middle of hating and loving. They were unidentified and I couldn't work through them and figure them out.

I stopped in the middle of the corridor.

I was running away. I _am _running away. What's _wrong _in running away? I _want _to runaway.

I want to-

"Hinata," I turned out at the mention of my name and was suddenly disappointed to see that it wasn't Sasuke. Despite what I had been saying, I had ran into him today countless of times. And, in the end of the day, I had a feeling I hurt him.

"Ino," I weakly smiled at her and started to walk again. She caught up to me.

"So are you okay?"

"Yeah I am fine,"

She gave a loud sigh.

"Oh thank god. If it wasn't for Sasuke, I don't know what would have happened,"

_Yes… his name again. Again and again._

"Excuse me?"

"Oh nobody told you? When you fainted, everyone started to panic. Sasuke was coming to get you when you walked out of the cafeteria and he carried you to the infirmary. He was really quick,"

So he carried me there? He helped me? He did a favour to me? He saved me? Not like I was in any mortal danger…

"Which was really good because the janitor stand was about to fall on top of you if he hadn't. It was aiming right at your head,"

Ok. So he _did _save me from mortal danger. I felt a pang of guilt stir inside of me. Even though I had no idea why he was hurt or angry or whatever because of what I had said, whatever happened was because of me. And for reason beyond, I hated myself for that. I hated the fact that I had opened myself to him. I hated the fact that he was an annoying, jerk and an _ass _of a person. And I totally _despised _the fact that I was feeling guilty for something I didn't mean to do.

"Ino…" I muttered, "Where do you think he is?"

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah,"

"Oh he already left. For some reason, he was pissed off. He left right after he dropped you at the infirmary. He didn't even attend the evening classes,"

The guilt grew.

"Do you…er… have his number?"

She stopped and stared at me… and I stopped too. She hesitated for a minute before sighing out loud and flipping out her cell phone.

"Don't tell Sakura," she muttered.

"Oh… okay,"

I felt my phone vibrate as she sent me his number and I smiled at her.

"Sorry for today," Ino said, "We made a lot of noise,"

I stared at her in wonder.

"Thank you and its ok,"

I turned around and ran ahead, loving the feel of wind against my face.

000

**Sasuke, this is Hinata. I got your number from Ino. I am sorry abo-**

No no… I erased the text message. I slumped against the sofa in my TV lounge and listened to the weather forecast half-heartily without even absorbing anything. Even though I had his number now, I didn't know what do anymore. I didn't have the courage to talk to him so I thought texting would be the best idea… but I even failed at that.

For once, I was scared that if I wrote my name and told him that I took my number from Ino, he would think that I was a stalker and was in love with him or something even more absurd. I, for one, did not have such feelings and I, for one, also believed that Sasuke did not feel anything like that for me. I had offended him in my new Hinata-hits-ass-and-breaks-hearts attitude and even though I did not know what was wrong exactly, I wanted to apologize so we could move on hating each other.

Yes… definitely that.

_Argh… but what should I wriiittteee?_

I stared at my cell phone angrily and grumbled.

"Sasuke, this is Hinata. I got your number from Ino. I am sorry about today…" I read it aloud in a whiny voice.

"Oh… an apology text. What happened?"

I jumped out of my skin as I turned around to see my mom behind me, holding a huge tub of chocolate ice cream in her hand.

"What? Noo…psshh…" I reacted in panic and flipped shut my cell phone.

My mom stared at me judgingly as she chewed on her ice-cream.

"Ah… so you are at that age eh," she said.

"What age? THERE IS NO AGE!"

She laughed, "What are you being so flustered about? Do you like someone?"

"WHAT! NOO!" I screamed way too loud and looked away. That did not prove anything. I really didn't like him. I swear.

"Ok," she waved as though she didn't believe me. She sat down next to me and bit into her ice cream, totally ignoring me.

I waited for a second.

"I don't know what I did today. I think I hurt someone unintentionally,"

"Oh. Someone?"

"A friend, mom,"

"Ah. So…?"

"So I want to apologize?"

She dropped the spoon in the tub.

"Rate the situation out of ten,"

I looked at her in confusion.

"What?"

"Rate it. How much did you hurt that person?"

"Er… eh?"

My mom sighed loudly.

"If he," she rolled her eyes at my sudden shock expression, "_or she _cried, then it's at a range of eight to ten. If it was screaming and yelling and a few punches here and there then it's around four to eight… and if it was _hurt _because you sneaked his favourite side dish out of his lunch, then that's around zero to three. So what is it?"

I stared at my mom as though she was nuts.

"It's none that you mentioned,"

"Oh… ouch. What did you do?"

I sighed.

"That's the problem. I don't _know. _We were having an argument and I _think _I said something and he just went all silent and gave me this… this _look. _I can't even… _describe it. _Then he just got up and walked away. Then he left school,"

There was a minute silence as my mom stared at me for a second before pushing the chocolate tub towards me.

"What you did ranked 15,"

"15?" I muttered as I chewed on a chunk of chocolate ice cream.

"15: the highest rating of hurting someone. When you are oblivious of what you did, don't remember what you did, don't know what the other felt and don't know what to do next. It's the taboo number of… _nothing," _

"Are you, by any chance, insane?" I asked her.

"MY DAUGHTER!" my mom snapped looking at me as though in… pride? And slammed her hands on either of my shoulders, "You are definitely my daughter. Oblivious!"

I stared at her. Taking advice from my mom was definitely not a good idea.

"Oh…okay. Thank you?"

She laughed.

"Anyway… what you are doing right now is not the solution. Never apologize to something like that through a text message. You will make the other person hurt or hate you even more. You can only text when you hurt someone with a ranking of three,"

"Er… ok. So what should I do?"

"You meet him,"

"IT'S NOT-"

"Or her… jee Hinata,"

"I can't meet him… or her,"

"If you avoid it then you can never solve it,"

"But… I can't. I just can't ask him to meet him out of the blue. He doesn't even know I have his number,"

My mom snatched my cell phone from my side and flipped it open. My eyes snapped open in shock and she was already done with whatever before I could even muster the strength to stretch my arm to stop her.

In shock, I grabbed my cell phone to see what she had sent.

**Meet me at the station at six. I will be waiting. **

I looked at my mom and then at the clock. It was 5.45 pm.

"Better hurry or you might even miss him… or her," my mom muttered grinning as she took the ice-cream tub away from me. I sat there for a moment dumbstruck before scrambling onto my feet and running out of the house.

Thank God I was wearing a sensible attire… because I didn't notice that I forgot my umbrella when I had reached the station at exactly six.

* * *

**WOW. OK! :O I actually wrote and edited this at the same time. WHich is a miracle. The sky is going to fall soon so brace yourself. LOL Thank you for lovely reviews and the amazing update-now flames. It keeps me going. :'D xD LOL**

**About this chapter: Its not very good. The quality of this chapter i mean. I think it might be a little confusing and... all over the place. :/ WHat do you guys think? Please leave some feedback. I will have to re-write it if its really too bad. D; **

**Or i will just clear somethings: Hyuuga Hinata is not in 'love' with either Hyuuga Neji or Uchiha Sasuke. She is a 'little' attracted to them. There is a huge difference on both the things. THe love and affection thing will establish in the later chapters.  
Also before you say Sasuke is OOC (which he so is LOL) you will know a little about his reactions in the coming chapters. That why he was all happy and gloomy and emotional and emotionless and was arguing with Hinata like that. xD SO yeah. Keep reading. AND reviewing! :)  
**


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